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Donald Trump has threatened to send the National Guard to Portland if the governor and mayor do not clarify what he says is a “hive of terrorists.”
At a press conference at the White House, the president said Portland was a disaster full of agitators and professional anarchists, and that the National Guard would be dispatched if local officials failed to control the city in the next two days.
“The governor and the mayor, we’ve been dealing with them, and we think they don’t know what they’re doing because this shouldn’t have been happening for 60 days,” Trump said. “It is not our job to clean up the cities, the local police are supposed to do it.”
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He said federal police officers would stay in Portland to see how local law enforcement works, and if they don’t wrest control of the city, then the federal government “will take care of it.”
“And we are telling these protesters, and many should be arrested because these are professional agitators, these are professional anarchists, these are people who hate our country,” said Trump.
“They are working today and probably tomorrow to clean up this hive of terrorists, and if they do, I will be very happy. And then slowly we can get out of the city. If they don’t, we’ll send the National Guard over there. “
Protester says federal troops were escalating violence in Portland
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf and Oregon Governor Kate Brown yesterday announced a joint plan to end violence directed at federal law enforcement officers.
Under the plan, the Oregon State Police “will keep the peace” in downtown Portland, while DHS will keep federal agents in the city on hold to protect the Federal Courthouse in Hatfield if the violence continues without control.
“We will continue to keep law enforcement officers in the area to make sure that court is safe at the end of the day,” Wolf said in an interview with Fox News.
“Over time, if the Oregon State Police and the plan that has been put in place succeed, and we can responsibly withdraw law enforcement assets there, then we will.”
Trump’s threat to send the National Guard comes after more than 60 consecutive nights of protests and riots.
In a statement, the Oregon State Police (OSP) said special operations teams and uniformed soldiers would begin a two-week rotation within Portland on Thursday.
“OSP hopes to develop an atmosphere that will allow for the removal of the protective fence and restore an appearance of normality, while meeting community expectations and our obligations to protect federal property,” the statement said.
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