Why is Trump fanning the flames of the LA protests?
Protests have broken out on the streets of Los Angeles after ICE officers raided areas of the state’s Hispanic community, with Donald Trump accused of making the situation worse by deploying the National Guard.
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In brief…
- Donald Trump has called the National Guard into LA to deal with protests against ICE officers detaining illegal migrants, against the wishes of governor Gavin Newsom, who has accused Trump of inflaming the situation.
- The News Agents say Trump may be testing the waters ahead of 2026 midterms, causing as much disruption as possible against immigrants to stir up support for his cause.
- Jon Sopel and Emily Maitlis believe Trump may also be trying to provoke the Democrats and revive the ANTIFA narrative which dogged his first term as President.
What’s the story?
Donald Trump claims to have deported nearly 140,000 undocumented people from America since returning to The White House in January 2025.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have carried out operations to apprehend and remove people from the country to enforce the President's tough stance on illegal immigration.
There has been criticism of Trump's extreme measures on the issue, but the actions of ICE officers in Los Angeles has led to protests, resulting in the President calling in the National Guard to deal with protesters on the streets.
The last time the National Guard was deployed by the President of the US was 1965, under Lydon B Johnson, in an attempt to quell protests against segregation in the Deep South.
"There were protests in LA – but nothing that the local police seemed unable to cope with, and Donald Trump has gone in with as heavy-handed approach as you could imagine," says Jon Sopel.
Emily Maitlis says California, which employs around 75,000 law enforcement officers, had more than enough manpower to “take charge” of the situation which unfolded over the weekend.
“The president is overreaching, using executive powers, to try and put California in its place,” she adds.
What’s been happening on the LA streets?
Disruption began on Friday 6 June, when ICE officials began raids in LA, specifically in Paramount, where more than 80% of its residents are Hispanic.
US media reported that more than 100 people were arrested while waiting for work in the area, and reportedly held at the Federal Building in downtown LA. This became the target for protesters, with clashes between police and civilians, vehicles being set on fire and reports of looting.
Trump said "things look bad in LA", before ordering the National Guard to intervene, a move opposed by state governor Gavin Newsom.
Newsom has claimed that LA “didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved”, blaming the presence of armed officers for escalating tensions.
Kamala Harris has accused the Trump Administration of “stoking fear”.
Tear gas was used against protesters and rubber bullets fired by Los Angeles police, with footage online showing news reporter Lauren Tomasi being shot by a non-lethal round while filming for Australian TV.
U.S. Correspondent Lauren Tomasi has been caught in the crossfire as the LAPD fired rubber bullets at protesters in the heart of Los Angeles. #9News
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) June 9, 2025
LATEST: https://t.co/l5w7JxixxB pic.twitter.com/nvQ7m9TGLj
Is Donald Trump’s response part of a bigger plan?
As the situation on the streets of LA escalated, theories around Trump’s “heavy-handed” respond began to grow, with some suggesting that what Trump has put into effect with the National Guard in LA could be a dry-run to disrupt voting in the 2026 Midterm Elections, testing out the disruptive impact of declaring an emergency and calling in officials to heighten the situation.
The last time there were protests on any major scale in the US followed the murder of George Floyd in 2020 – under Trump's first administration – and the National Guard were not deployed to deal at that time, despite looting and vandalism on a far greater scale.
Emily believes it has happened now because Trump has surrounded himself with a team who will support his every decision and back every move he makes.
“The Constitution does not have any clause for what should happen in a state of emergency,” Emily says.
“It relies on the belief that the President would act in America's interest, rather than against America's interest.
“But if you're starting to see it as a way of manipulating a ballot that you think could be problematic, or a population that you think might not be prepared to vote for you in the midterms, then suddenly all bets are off.”
Or, is Trump setting a trap for the Democrats?
While Democrat representatives have condemned Trump’s “unacceptable” response to the LA protests, Jon says the lack of response so far from the wider Democratic Party highlights a "staggering lack of self-confidence".
He suggests Trump is, potentially, laying a "trap" for his political rivals, hoping they will speak out in support of the illegal immigrants in this situation, which the Republicans will be able to use as ammunition against them.
“Just because a trap has been set doesn't mean you need to fall into it,” he adds.
“You can walk round it, you can circumnavigate it, and that is where the Democrats are falling down at the moment, largely because there's so much howling of outrage that Donald Trump probably has his base absolutely firmly on side with the measures that he's taking.
“He is probably lapping up the coverage that is being given to it – in both supportive media and those which oppose him – because he thinks that this will work to his advantage in the long run.”
Emily believes Trump is gearing up to retread old ground, and old outrage, to stoke his supporters and appeal to new voters.
“They want to create the ANTIFA narrative again – which is that Antifa is out to wreck your neighbourhoods and destroy your property,” she says.
“The Democrats still have to defend what's actually happening in front of their noses in America, if they want to preserve the rule of law in the country.”