‘Trump won’t allow mob rule in America’: White House says as protests spread across US

The White House on Wednesday (Jun 11) said that US President Donald Trump would not allow “mob rule” as protests spread across the United States against his immigration policies. This comes after the Trump administration deployed thousands of military personnel after clashes during protests in Los Angeles.

During the press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed the Democratic governor of California and mayor of Los Angeles, claiming they had “fanned the flames” amid the clashes.

“President Trump will never allow mob rule to prevail in America,” Leavitt said at the White House. The television screens showed visuals of burning vehicles and masked rioters.

“The most basic duty of government is to preserve law and order, and this administration embraces that sacred responsibility,” she said.

Leavitt’s remarks come a day after Trump’s speech at the Fort Bragg military base on Tuesday (Jun 10), in which he said that the rioters in Los Angeles bearing foreign flags were part of a “foreign invasion”. He vowed to “liberate” Los Angeles and called the protesters “animals”.

California authorities have criticised Trump's moves, saying that the deployment of troops is unnecessary and will inflame the situation. California Governor Gavin Newsom has called the president’s actions “dictatorial” and “un-American”.

“Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass shamefully failed to meet their sworn obligations to their citizens,” Leavitt said, accusing Newsom of having “fanned the flames and demonized our brave ICE officers.”

Trump has also called the protesters “paid insurrectionists”, claiming that some of them had professional anti-riot equipment.

“It’s a good question the president is raising, and one we are looking into, about who is funding these insurrectionists,” Leavitt said when asked by AFP about the president’s comments.

The protests erupted on June 6 after the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials carried out raids across Los Angeles as part of Trump’s crackdown against illegal immigrants. This triggered anger in local communities and civil rights groups, who called the raids heavy-handed and unjust. The protest soon turned into violent clashes with law enforcement, following which National Guard troops were deployed.