Here’s two brief reports on Bernie Sanders’ reaction to Trump deploying hundreds of National Guard troops to Los Angeles.
By Sudiksha Kochi / USA TODAY / June 8, 2025
Progressive firebrand Sen. Bernie Sanders said he believes President Donald Trump is “moving this country rapidly into authoritarianism” after Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to help quell immigration protests in Los Angeles.
“This guy wants all of the power. He does not believe in the Constitution. He does not believe in the rule of law. My understanding is that the governor of California, the mayor of the city of Los Angeles did not request the National Guard, but he thinks he has a right to do anything he wants,” Sanders, a Vermont independent, told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
The protests come as the Trump administration has taken stronger actions to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. Demonstrators allege the administration’s immigration enforcement has violated civil and human rights.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on June 7 that Trump signed a memo deploying the guardsmen “to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.” Both California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, however, have criticized the move, saying it would only escalate tensions in the area.
“I would say that to a large degree, the future of this country rests with a small number of Republicans in the House and Senate who know better, who do know what the Constitution is about, and it’s high time they stood up for our Constitution and the rule of law,” Sanders said.
Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, meanwhile, defended the president’s move to Bash, arguing that the situation is not under control.
The Department of Homeland Security said that some protesters have hurled large chunks of broken concrete at officers, slashed tires and defaced buildings. Video footage of some of the protests showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks, lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds.
“The president has made it very clear. If the governor or the mayor of the city isn’t willing to protect the citizens of his state or the city, then the president will. The American people elected him to restore the law and order back to our streets,” Mullin said.
by Tara Suter / The Hill / June 8, 2025
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Sunday went after President Trump over the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members to the Los Angeles area, saying the president “thinks he has a right to do anything.”
“He does not believe in the Constitution; he does not believe in the rule of law,” Sanders told CNN’s Dana Bash of Trump on “State of the Union.”
“My understanding is that the governor of California, the mayor of the city of Los Angeles, did not request the National Guard, but he thinks he has a right to do anything he wants,” he added.
Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard members to the Los Angeles area on Saturday amid protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said previously the action was due to “violent mobs” recently attacking “Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations.”
“These operations are essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States. In the wake of this violence, California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens. That is why President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,” Leavitt said.
The president blamed California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) for the unrest that started due to ICE raids.
Newsom has called the federal response “inflammatory” and said the deployment of soldiers “will erode public trust.”
Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) also said Sunday that the deployment of the National Guard to the Los Angeles area is “going to escalate the situation.”
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
