President Donald Trump posted a video of himself speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday about protests in Los Angeles — reinforcing a threat he made just minutes earlier
"If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it," he said referring the the Insurrection Act, an extremely rarely used law that authorizes the president to deploy military forces within the United States to suppress rebellion.
"If we didn't get involved, right now Los Angeles would be burning just like it was burning a number of months ago," he said.
"We are not playing around."
He also claimed, "Last night was terrible," and that the protests were "causing a lot of death." He then corrected himself, saying it was causing "a lot of potential death." There hadn't been any people killed in the protests as of Tuesday morning.
Trump has deployed National Guard recruits and Marines to the city, despite officials in California being against their presence.
CNN reporter Brian Stelter noted that the Defense Department's rapid response account on X claimed "Los Angeles is burning," when there were no reports of fires related to the protests at the time.
In a bizarre video this week, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard claimed the U.S. was "closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before" because of "political elites" with bomb shelters.
Gabbard made the claims in a post to X on Tuesday after she said she recently visited the site where the U.S. dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.
The Trump official said she saw "the unimaginable horror caused by a single nuclear bomb."
"A single nuclear weapon today could kill millions," she warned. "Just one of these nuclear bombs would vaporize everything at its core. People, buildings, life itself."
Gabbard used the story to suggest leaders should not provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin over his war in Ukraine.
"This is the reality of what's at stake, what we are facing now," she said. "Because as we stand here today, closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before, political elites and war mongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers."
"Perhaps it's because they are confident that they will have access to nuclear shelters for themselves and for their families that regular people won't have access to," she added. "So it's up to us, the people, to speak up and demand an end to this madness. We must reject this path to nuclear war and work toward a world where no one has to live in fear of a nuclear holocaust."
President Donald Trump announced a plan to "wean" the United States off the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
During an Oval Office press conference on Tuesday, Trump said that governors would be responsible for providing disaster relief instead of the federal government.
"So we want to wean off of FEMA and we want to bring it down to the state level," the president explained. "A little bit like education, we're moving it back to the states so the governors can handle. That's why they're governors now. If they can't handle it, they shouldn't be governor."
Trump said the governors would "give each other a hand."
"But the FEMA thing has not been a very successful experiment, very, very expensive, and it doesn't get the job done," he opined. "You saw what happened in North Carolina under the past administration... And it has not worked out well. It's extremely expensive."
"And again, when you have a tornado or a hurricane or you have a problem of any kind, in a state, that's what you have governors for," the president added. "They're supposed to fix those problems."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth answered questions on Tuesday before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense about President Donald Trump deploying National Guard soldiers and Marines to Los Angeles.
California Rep. Pete Aguilar (D) said that he has "severe concerns" about the soldiers being sent to LA without consultation with the governor of the state.
Ultimately, Aguilar inquired about the authority Trump has to deploy the guard without consulting state leaders.
"10 USC 12 406 says a legal basis that the president uses cites three examples in circumstances for the guard," Aguilar said before reading the law. "Invasion by a foreign nation, a rebellion or dangerous rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States, or if the president is unable with regular forces to execute the laws of the United States. Which authority is triggered here to justify the use?"
"I don't know, you just read it yourself, and people can listen to themselves, but it sounds like all three to me," Hegseth responded.
Aguilar also noted he'd seen photos of the soldiers sleeping on the ground and that they haven't been "provided fuel, food or water by the DOD." He asked how long the deployment would last and "why were we unprepared to provide them basic necessities such as food and water?"
Hegseth said that the commanders on the ground are "very well prepared" and were able to respond "incredibly rapidly to a deteriorating situation."
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell disputed that the situation was deteriorating, noting in a briefing Monday that it "heightened everybody's level of awareness and certainly anxiety."
He claimed, "there are moments where you make do as best you can temporarily. But we are ensuring they are housed, fed, water, capabilities in real time from my office because I care that much about the California Guard and the Marines."
Aguilar questioned what Hegseth said he was doing personally, which prompted an angry response.
"It's true every day! That's a disengenuous attack that misrepresents how much we care about our troops and what they're doing," Hegseth said, wagging a finger.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday, "The troops—whose makeshift quarters are shown in photographs exclusively obtained by the Chronicle—arrived without federal funding for food, water, fuel, equipment or lodging, said the source, who was granted confidentiality under Chronicle policies. This person said state officials and the California National Guard were not to blame…
"This is what happens when the president and (Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth) demand the National Guard state assets deploy immediately with no plan in place … (and) no federal funding available for food, water, fuel and lodging," the source said. “This is really the failure of the federal government. If you’re going to federalize these troops, then take care of them."
"I'm not gonna take that we don't care about the troops," Hegseth continued to deny.
McCollum asked why Hegseth has failed to get a budget to Congress in the four months since Congress requested it.
The Office of Management and Budget "has a responsibility to get management to the services so that contracts can be executed in a timely fashion," she said, noting that every defense contractor said that the process is "going too slow" while "time and taxpayer dollars are being wasted. Our national security is being put at risk because of the lag time. CR's are simply wasteful."
She noted that the budget was due in February, but Congress still doesn't have it. Instead of marking up an actual bill, McCollum said that all the members have "is a very rough draft and an incomplete defense appropriations act."
She cited Trump's "Golden Dome" project, which the president announced a few weeks ago, but hasn't outlined in any funding plan.
But it was her questions about the deployment of troops to Los Angeles that began a squabble on the House floor Tuesday.
"Active duty military has absolutely no role in domestic law enforcement and they are not trained for those missions," she continued, requesting that they all "follow the law."
She went on to ask Hegseth where the money is coming from to host Trump's parade scheduled for June 14. Early estimates of the cost are at least $45 million, including $16 million to repair the damage to the streets that the tanks would cause, NBC News reported in May.
She also wondered where the funds were coming from for the deployment of the troops to Los Angeles and the border.
"I honor and celebrate the United States Army, but I'd like to know how much this parade is going to cost," she said, noting she's sent several letters on the matter that have been ignored.
McCollum cut in while Hegseth spoke over her about the safety of immigration agents in Los Angeles. She noted that, given her limited five-minute questioning period, she wanted to redirect him to her question about cost.
"You asked about the situation in Los Angeles, and we believe that ICE agents —" Hegseth began before being interrupted.
"I asked about the budget. I asked about the budget," McCollum repeated.
Hegseth continued to ignore the budget question, instead talking about protecting ICE.
"Mr. Chairman, if the secretary is not going to answer budgetary questions, I will yield back my time, if the secretary refuses to answer the budgetary questions put before him," McCollum said. "They're important. What training missions are happening, where are you pulling the money from, and how are you planning moving forward? These are budget questions that affect this committee!"
She noted that in only a few hours, the House committee would be required to vote on a budget, and she wanted him to answer questions about it.
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense chairman, Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), appeared to agree, asking Hegseth to answer her questions.
Hegseth responded by attacking President Joe Biden's administration, saying that they "thankfully have a 13% higher budget" for defense than in the previous administration. The 2025 budget was passed in 2024 under the Biden administration.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) berated Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he was unable to give her a plan for spending on military submarines.
During a Tuesday House Appropriations Committee hearing, DeLauro demanded "specific information" about how defense funds were being used on submarines after Hegseth suggested Congress had not supported the program.
"We're willing to listen to all of that, because in fact, in contrast to what your earlier statement was, we have in fact supported mightily the submarine industrial base from this committee that has not been neglected," the Democratic lawmaker said. "So, do we have a plan? Do you have a plan for making the necessary investments to ramp up production to the necessary levels? And what is that plan?"
"Ma'am, first of all, I want to thank this committee for the flexibility alongside FY25 and the continued resolution," Hegseth stated.
"Well, I would hope you would thank this committee for the funding that it had made!" DeLauro exclaimed. "We have made a serious investment. So your first statement is inaccurate! We have focused squarely on submarines."
"And we now want to know where that is going and what your plan is for the continued advancements to meet production levels and make sure that that is an area that's covered for our national security," she said.
"Congresswoman, we have the details and we will provide them for you," Hegseth insisted.
"Well, then let's have them!" DeLauro shouted. "And my hope is that we could get to it before we go to a markup within a few hours here today."
A Trump administration official was unable to justify her claims after she was repeatedly fact-checked by CNN's John Berman.
Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for public affairs, appeared Tuesday morning on "CNN News Central," where Berman started off asking why President Donald Trump had doubled the number of National Guard troops in Los Angeles if local law enforcement said the protests were under control, as a Republican county commissioner had stated on a previous segment.
"Well, John, last night we actually saw that our law enforcement, there was Molotov cocktails being thrown at them, they were being bombarded by rocks being thrown at them as well, pummeled," McLaughlin said.
"Again, fires being lit, public property being defaced. So for them to say that they have this under control is just absolutely false. But they've been saying that since the beginning. [California Gov.] Gavin Newsom and [Los Angeles Mayor] Karen Bass have been saying that this is mostly peaceful, and Americans have eyes and ears, and they can see for themselves that these have not been peaceful protests, as cars have been lit on fire and our law enforcement has been assaulted. So we would like for local and state law enforcement to actually get this under control, John."
Berman was dubious and asked the spokeswoman to back up her assertions.
"What metrics do you have that show that last night was worse than the nights before?" Berman said. "Because by all the evidence, there were fewer – I'm not saying there wasn't, but it was absolutely, there was violence and there were clashes between protesters and police, but it was less than and less extreme than the previous night. So what metrics do you have that show the opposite?"
McLaughlin denied making the claim, and credited Trump's moves with defusing tensions.
"I didn't say that things have escalated further," she said. "I actually think thanks to the National Guard being called in, as well as the Marines, we have more resources to make sure that our federal buildings, that there's crowd control, but we have our own eyes and ears as metrics, John, which is to show that there are Molotov cocktails being thrown. There is ICE enforcement and National Guard troops, rocks being pummeled at them, fires and being lit, and American flags being burned. So I can I think we can rely on our own images to tell the story."
Berman said his own eyes told a different story.
"If we can rely on our own eyes, last night we were all watching the National Guard troops were literally behind the LAPD, the Los Angeles police and the sheriff's department, not engaging directly with the protesters," Berman said. "They were protecting federal buildings, absolutely lined up around the federal buildings. But they weren't engaged with the protesters themselves, so, again, how will doubling the number of them, if that is their mission, change the situation?"
McLaughlin tried to change the subject.
"John, because of Gavin Newsom's lack of leadership," McLaughlin said, "we've had a whole of government approach, and I think Americans can be so proud of their law enforcement in the face of assaults in the face of really hatred in the face of major threats calling for the killing of ICE, the death to America, our ICE enforcement officers, our National Guard, and our military has stood with professionalism, with dignity, with patriotism, and I think that this is something the American people can be very proud of. I know the Trump administration is incredibly proud of the professionalism we've seen out of our National Guard and other members of law enforcement, and we thank them."
Berman asked whether that was intended as a slight against local police, but she claimed it was the state's Democratic leaders who had disrespected law enforcement.
"We are very proud of our state and local law enforcement officials who, again, these protesters have been burning American flags threatening these law enforcement officers, taunting them," McLaughlin said. "It's disgusting the behavior and it's a shame that Karen Bass and Gov. Newsom continue to stand by them, not calling them down, especially, I think we should get back to the root as well, John, of what these protests are about is about, these ICE enforcement officers just carrying out the law in the last 72 hours, ICE enforcement officers have arrested child molesters, rapists, murderers, multiple gang members. They are putting themselves on the front lines, risking their lives every single day to make American communities safer."
Berman fact-checked her again.
"To be clear, both the mayor, Karen Bass, and the governor have condemned the violence of the protesters," he said. "When the protesters become violent, they each have said that it is a bad thing and for it to stop."
Podcaster Joe Rogan couldn't believe his ears when Kash Patel accused former FBI Director James Comey of hoarding a trove of unvetted information in a secret room at the Hoover Building.
Last month, Patel told Fox News's Maria Bartiromo that he would be revealing previously hidden documents related to the Trump "Russiagate" investigation alleging that Donald Trump's 2016 campaign was aided by Russian interference. The infamous Mueller Report, released in 2019, concluded that the special counsel had insufficient evidence to bring any charges against Trump for the alleged collusion.
"Just think about this," Patel began. "Me, as director of the FBI, the former 'Russiagate guy,' when I first got to the bureau, found a room that Comey and others hid from the world in the Hoover Building, full of documents and computer hard drives that no one had ever seen or heard of. Locked the key and hid access and just said, 'No one's ever gonna find this place.'"
"What?" an incredulous Rogan exclaimed.
"Yeah. So, my guys are going through that right now," Patel said. When Rogan asked what was in the room, Patel answered, "A lot of stuff."
Patel, long considered a conspiracy theorist by the left, came to prominence in 2018 for his attempts to discredit the FBI's investigation into Trump. In January, after Patel was nominated to become FBI director, The New York Times claimed that Patel's "demonstrably spurious claims, shared in podcasts and in his book, 'Government Gangsters,' served to delegitimize the investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, stoke baseless suspicions that the F.B.I. helped instigate the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol and muddy the waters of the inquiry into Mr. Trump’s refusal to return classified documents after leaving office."
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich believes President Joe Biden’s use of the autopen could become the “biggest scandal in American history,” according to a Fox News report.
The revelation came on Lara Trump’s Fox News show “My View.”
"The reason is, sometimes, I'd think it's probably in 2023… Joe Biden was no longer there,” Gingrich said. “And that means that other people were exercising the power of the presidency without any constitutional limitations, and I really think the key is not to look at Biden, but to look at the various Obama people who had infiltrated that system."
"The one I find the most interesting is that on one day after the election, he commuted 2,400 people. Now, you know he didn't have a clue.” The former House Speaker added, “Somebody was running the autopen. Somebody was giving them instructions and somebody was making deals somewhere. That's just a tiny example of how bad it was."
Fox paraphrased Gingrich on its website, writing, “The backdrop of the ordeal was the decay of the president and the use of his identity as a front for the decisions that may have happened at the hands of some members of his administration behind the scenes.”
Gingrich called this "elder abuse."
President Donald Trump has called for a probe of Biden’s use of the autopen — a tool which Trump himself has used — and he believes many of the documents signed by his predecessor using the device are invalid.
Biden, for his part, denies the allegations and has publicly condemned the probe.
"Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false," Biden said.
In the statement, Biden later added, "This is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who are working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid and raise costs on American families, all to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations."
Protesters and California's Democratic leaders are giving President Donald Trump exactly what he wants as demonstrations rage in Los Angeles against an immigration crackdown, according to MSNBC's Jonathan Lemire.
The president has ordered 700 active-duty U.S. Marines and 2,000 more National Guard troops into Los Angeles to assist local law enforcement on a fourth day of protests against immigration arrests. The "Morning Joe" co-host said the optics of the demonstrations have bolstered Trump's case on the issue.
"The mayor, the governor, the police commissioner have all said that, 'We've got this under control, that the number of people who are being violent, it's a very small minority of these protesters, the vast majority have done it peacefully,'" Lemire said.
"'Those that have been violent, of course they shouldn't do that, we will find them, we will arrest them, we will prosecute them.'"
"But this is an opportunity for this White House," Lemire added. "I heard from a White House adviser just this morning, basically saying, 'We couldn't have scripted this any better.' You're looking to change the topic of conversation from the Elon Musk brouhaha last week, and the ongoing questions about the bill, the 'big, beautiful bill' that's heading to the Senate.
"This is the turf where they want to fight, and it's California, it's Los Angeles, a deep blue state and city. They're getting those images in that B-roll ... of a masked man with a Mexican flag in front of a car that's on fire, one of those self-driving taxis, probably, and that's what they want to project to their audiences, to their base: 'Look, this is dangerous, that's why we're taking the steps that we are,' and they're setting a trap for Democrats."
President Donald Trump has unveiled a new slogan amid the ongoing protests in Los Angeles, warning critics of his deportation policies, “If you spit, we will hit”—a statement critics say could incite violence. As tensions rise, Trump is escalating the federal response, expanding the National Guard presence and now ordering U.S. Marines into the city.
Although Trump has not cited any specific incidents of protesters spitting, critics warn his rhetoric risks escalating tensions and could invite increased use of force by law enforcement and U.S. military personnel—who were deployed to Los Angeles over the objections of Governor Gavin Newsom.
In a Monday afternoon Truth Social post, Trump wrote:
“’If they spit, we will hit.’ This is a statement from the President of the United States concerning the catastrophic Gavin Newscum inspired Riots going on in Los Angeles. The Insurrectionists have a tendency to spit in the face of the National Guardsmen/women, and others. These Patriots are told to accept this, it’s just the way life runs. But not in the Trump Administration. IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before. Such disrespect will not be tolerated!”
The President tested out a version of the phrase on Sunday (video below).
Trump told reporters, “we’re gonna be watching it very closely. And when they spit at people—you know, they spit, that’s their new thing—they spit and worse. You know what they throw at ’em, right? And when that happens, I have a little statement, and they say, ‘they spit, we hit.'”
“And I told them, nobody’s gonna spit on our police officers. Nobody’s gonna spit on our military, which they do as a common thing. They get up to ’em this far away, and then they start spitting in their face. That happens, they get hit very hard.”
Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jenifer Griffin added, “Use of Force rules are unclear but the Marines will not be in a law enforcement role. Not clear the rules for response if someone throws bottles or rocks at them.”
Critics blasted the President.
“Cruelty isn’t a policy, it’s a warning sign,” wrote investment banker Evaristus Odinikaeze on Sunday, in response to Trump’s remarks. “‘They spit, we hit’ isn’t leadership, it’s incitement. Brutality, dehumanization, and escalation are the ethos of authoritarian regimes. This is far from law and order. It’s about power through fear. And we must resist this evil.”
“Be very clear,” warned Lincoln Project co-founder Jennifer Horn. “The intentions of the President of the United States would be served by real violence erupting in the streets of LA. That’s why he uses language like ‘insurrection’ and phrases like ‘if they spit, we hit.’ He’s just looking for an excuse.”
Trump: When they spit at people— they spit, that’s their new thing—when that happens, I have a little statement: they spit, we hit.., if that happens, they get hit very hard pic.twitter.com/gYpwNz3F9O — Acyn (@Acyn) June 8, 2025
The conflict is heading to a dark place, warned conservative analyst Jonah Goldberg during a roundtable discussion with CNN's Kasie Hunt — and neither side has any incentive to back down until a real tragedy occurs.
"There are a lot of ways, Kasie, this can escalate," said Goldberg's fellow panelist, Lanhee Chen of the conservative Hoover Institution. "And I don't think that most of the ways it can escalate are, frankly, very good, either for Governor Newsom or for the president. So I do think it is ultimately in the best interest of both not to escalate, but de-escalate. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the pathway that we're on right now."
"What's your assessment of how Gavin Newsom is handling this?" asked Hunt, turning to Goldberg.
"I think Lanhee gets it. One of the real reasons why this is going to get worse before it gets better," said Goldberg. "Gavin Newsom is the latest in a very long line of people who benefit enormously with their constituencies by picking a fight with Donald Trump, right? I mean, going back to Michael Avenatti, remember him, right? There are these people who become resistance avatars or heroes of the base of the Democratic Party. And they get to play the martyr by going after Donald Trump. And it works for both sides in a way that leaves the center without a lot of grown-ups in it."
Ultimately, he added, "I worry that this is going to keep escalating, until something terrible happens. And then maybe cooler heads will prevail." Watch the video below or at the link here.
The Marines are being sent to support the National Guard and are mainly tasked with protecting federal property and federal personnel.
Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) joined "The Arena" with Hunt to discuss the new reporting.
"I've been a member of the National Guard and we have seen this happen time and time again. The president has the right to move a National Guard unit from what’s called Title 32 to Title 10 and federalize the force. You know, when COVID broke out, individual states stepped out because, candidly, we weren't getting the support we needed," he told Hunt.
But Hunt noted this is the first time a president has done so over the objection of a governor since the Civil Rights era.
In response, Nunn insisted they saw "proof in the pudding."
"The president moved when other folks weren’t. And as a result — a sanctuary city which wasn't holding these guys accountable —we had federal agents having rocks thrown through their windows while they were driving. We had cars being lit aflame in the street. We had communities asking for help. We had a commissioner from the LAPD actually come out and say, “Hey, it's not what our elected officials here are telling us. This is now becoming a dangerous situation on the ground.”
When Hunt asked his thoughts on whether this was an appropriate use of the Marines, Nunn insisted he believes in not using military forces against American citizens, but said he fears riots will break out.
But Hunt pressed him on the topic.
"When we have seen riots before in this country — and certainly Los Angeles has dealt with this in the past — the National Guard has been able to handle it. What’s different now?" she asked.
When Nunn tried to point to 1992 riots in which the National Guard was deployed to Los Angeles and accused the city's officials of refusing to stand with federal law enforcement, Hunt pressed him again.
"Why is the National Guard not good enough, I guess. Why do we need the Marines?" she asked.
"I think that active-duty military is really the question here. It doesn't matter whether it’s the Marines, the Army, the Air Force. The fact of the matter is, we want to be able to back up the folks on the ground who are right now receiving rocks, fire, hit, bleeding in the street.
"There’s no reason that we should be at a situation where we've had this kind of tumult, and the LAPD is saying—" he continued, as Hunt interjected again.
"I'm just stuck on the National Guard not being enough to handle it. Like, why? Why — for all the things we’ve seen in our country —" she began, as Nunn interjected.
"Casey, I would say the most deployable force is right there, right? I mean, you've got Camp Pendleton right there. We're talking about proximity and the ability to refill. So I think that this is an absolutely appropriate use. I think you'll find that legally it's on that side. And if Congress needs to step in and grant this to the president, we should be able to protect these communities," said Nunn.
