President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed Los Angeles was being invaded by a "foreign enemy" and vowed to "liberate" the city after days of rioting in protest of raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
In a speech at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, one of the nation's largest Army bases, Trump described protesters as "animals" and got troops to boo the names of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former president Joe Biden, both Democrats.
Trump has deployed approximately 4,000 California National Guardsmen and 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles to contain the rioting, even though Newsom and other Democrats said the move will only inflame the situation.
"This anarchy will not stand," Trump said. "We will not allow federal agents to be attacked, and we will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy."
Trump described the protesters as "animals" who "proudly carry the flags of other countries."
"What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country," Trump said.
Trump linked the protesters to what he called "uncontrolled migration" and said that Europe – which his administration has repeatedly criticized on the matter – must act too.
"As the entire world can now see, uncontrolled migration leads to chaos, dysfunction and disorder," Trump said. "And you know what? They have it in Europe too. It's happening in many of the countries of Europe. They better do something before it's too late."