Friends -
Last night, President Trump and his administration ordered the deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 United States Marines to Los Angeles.
Let me be totally clear on what this has been about from the very beginning -- and it cannot be said enough:
This is a theatrical display of toughness from an increasingly unhinged president that is DESIGNED to escalate tensions and violence in Los Angeles that he hopes will spread to other parts of the state and country.
California has never sided with violent anarchists that loot and destroy public property and take advantage of situations like these. We have arrested those that have broken the law and will continue to do so. Keeping Californians safe has always been our number one priority.
But, for Donald Trump, that’s not what this is about.
He wants spectacle and violence, because he thinks it is good for him politically.
Thank you for reading. I will have much more later today.
Gavin Newsom