Protests in Los Angeles: Trump sends in National Guard
The protests against the US government's immigration crackdown continue despite the mobilisation of National Guard troops and Marines in Los Angeles. California governor Gavin Newsom described the deployment as a "provocation" by US President Donald Trump that posed a threat to the core of democracy. Europe's press analyses the situation.
A welcome distraction
The riots in Los Angeles and the commotion surrounding the deployment of the National Guard are very opportune for Trump right now, news.bg believes:
“Trump knew he needed new headlines that would change the news, which in recent days had been dominated by the heated dispute between him and his – up until recently – sponsor and advisor Elon Musk. He simply had to change the public narrative. That is a knack he possesses, because he is more of a media man than a politician. ... The reaction of the US media was predictable: the clashes in California have overshadowed media coverage of Elon Musk's tweets and the controversy surrounding the White House.”
California must seek de-escalation
Democratic leaders can do their part to calm the tensions, Berlingske believes:
“There is nothing to indicate that Gavin Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass can win the contest with Trump by being outraged or angry. One also might well ask whether it is wise for Los Angeles to provoke public opinion by turning itself into a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants. If Newsom and Bass want to stand up to Trump, they need to get the riots under control very quickly by letting the police do their job. At the same time they must of course insist on the right to peaceful protest.”
Ability to talk to each other put to the test
The altercation between Trump and Newsom could serve to start a positive trend, writes Diário de Notícias:
“The clash between the federal capital Washington and California is a good test of the American political class's ability to make compromises in the national interest. The Trump administration is dealing with the governor of a state that is not only the most populous in the country, but would also be the fourth largest economy in the world if it were independent. Regardless of their ambitions to leave a legacy or achieve greatness, Trump and Newsom should recognise that they need to talk to each other to find solutions.”
Bitter blow to the West's image
The unrest in the US could diminish liberal democracy's appeal, writes Expresso:
“Not only is this America far from ideal, but in many people's eyes it may even appear worse than the emerging alternatives, namely China and the 'illiberal democracies'. It is more disorderly, more insecure, more unpredictable and morally lost. And the damage to its image doesn't end in Washington. If the world becomes convinced that American decadence is inevitable and that its main cause lies in its political and economic model, the reputation of liberal democracies and the post-war and post-Cold War international order will not survive. And then it will not only be America that goes down, but all of us, the West as a whole.”
A constitutional crisis in the offing?
Handelsblatt comments:
“We're talking about the last bastion of American democracy that the president is now targeting: federalism. ... Trump is testing the limits of his political power here. And there are good reasons to believe that the West's leading power could be facing a veritable constitutional crisis. ... All of this adds up to an anti-democratic picture that could hardly be more alarming. He would be a 'dictator' for one day, Trump said half-jokingly during the election campaign. Well, it took a little longer than that to organise the political system around the president, he is probably thinking to himself today.”
Ultimate test
The protests pose a serious challenge for the US president, the Irish Independent stresses:
“The Women's Marches and BLM protests of his first administration may have, at times, turned rowdy and chaotic / but their violence was never directed at the White House like it is right now. This moment is different. Very different. ... The California protesters could prove the ultimate – and most unanticipated – foils to a Trump White House whose run of nearly unchallenged luck looks like it is coming to an end. For many illegal migrants facing deportation, the spectre of arrest or even death rivals the potential violence awaiting in their home nations. These are people with literally nothing to lose.”
Playing games with purported crises
Kurier sees a calculated move behind the violent crackdown on protesters in California:
“When you get right down to it, the script is always the same: whether it's about tariffs, the crusade against elite Harvard University or the fight against illegal immigration - the Trump administration always sees emergencies and threats to national security that the president uses to justify measures that exceed the limits of his presidential powers.”
Threat of spiral of violence
Göteborgs-Posten fears that such actions could lead to an escalation in migration-related problems:
“The US finds itself in a dilemma. Mass illegal immigration from the south has led to social problems, including crime, and is keeping wages low in certain sectors of the economy. English is being replaced by Spanish in some areas. Integration is made difficult by the sheer numbers of people, and the rifts in the country are growing. Most Americans are against this trend. ... Doing nothing is unlikely to be accepted by the American people. But Trump's methods could well lead to a spiral of violence that neither he nor anyone else can fully control.”
Heading towards autocracy
Trump is blatantly overstepping his authority, Dnevnik rails:
“The resistance both to his tariffs and to his immigration policy has cast doubt on the core of his Maga policy. To protect it he is prepared to act beyond the powers enshrined in the constitution, thereby relativising the existing American legal order, personalising power in a dangerous way and pushing American democracy further and further into autocratic waters. When, power-crazed, he cites his own opinion as the basis for sending Marines to California, it's high time for a constitutional complaint. The Republicans should also acknowledge this.”