White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt bristled when a reporter asked why President Donald Trump wasn't prioritizing protesters' First Amendment rights.
The president has called on the National Guard and active-duty U.S. Marines to assist local law enforcement during protests in Los Angeles and promised a "heavy" response to any protests of his military parade Saturday in Washington, D.C. A White House reporter asked Leavitt whether he was more interested in security or constitutional rights.
"I'm struck that the president has not at any point said the most important thing is to protect the First Amendment rights of peaceful protesters," the reporter said. "So I'm wondering where in his hierarchy of interests does he place that? Is the First Amendment protection the most important? Is stopping violence most important? Why is he not out saying all peaceful protesters will be protected?"
Leavitt's smile tightened when he asked about Trump's hierarchy of interests.
"I think two things can be important at the same time," she said, "and the president, as I just answered, supports the right of Americans to peacefully protest. He supports the First Amendment, but that is not the majority of the behavior that we have seen taking place in Los Angeles. We have seen mobs of violent rioters and agitators assaulting law enforcement officers, assaulting our federal immigration authorities, and we have seen, as I said, this goes back to what this administration is trying to do and accomplish, and that's enforcing law and order in our nation's communities, and it's removing public safety threats from communities in Los Angeles."
The reporter followed up and asked whether Leavitt believes the majority of those protesters were "not good people." She snapped out a response.
"I just read for you the arrested numbers," she said. "We've arrested nearly 400 illegal aliens alone, just illegal aliens who have been arrested in these riots since June 6."
The reporter was undeterred, pointing out that thousands of protesters were in the streets.
"Yes, and we've had hundreds of people who have assaulted law enforcement officers," Leavitt said. "Are you saying that's appropriate behavior?"
"No, no, I'm not saying that at all," the reporter said. "I'm just trying to figure out –"
"The Democrat governor and Democrat mayor have failed their citizens," Leavitt said, interrupting the reporter and misidentifying the name of the Democratic Party, "and the majority of Americans and the majority of Californians do not want to see law enforcement officers being assaulted in the streets."
