In an address to troops at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina, Trump spread conspiracy theories, maligned California’s Democratic leaders and misleadingly portrayed protesters as part of a “foreign invasion”.
The initial deployment of 300 national guard troops, federalized by Trump over the objections of California leaders, is expected to quickly expand to 4,000.
Trump repeats baseless conspiracy theory that bricks were staged for protesters in LA Trump also referenced a viral conspiracy theory that pallets of bricks were left out for protesters to hurl at police officers in LA.
“They came in with bricks,” Trump said.
“In Los Angeles, the governor of California, the mayor of Los Angeles, they’re incompetent and they paid troublemakers, agitators and insurrectionists.
Donald Trump repeated numerous lies and deceptive claims regarding the tensions in the second-largest city in the United States on Tuesday as Los Angeles prepared for the arrival of additional federal troops.
Trump insulted California’s Democratic leaders, disseminated conspiracy theories, and falsely described protesters as a part of a “foreign invasion” while speaking to troops at the Fort Bragg military installation in North Carolina.
These remarks were made as protests against immigration raids began on Friday and the city of angels got ready to receive hundreds of additional troops assigned to guard immigration enforcement officers.
It is anticipated that the 300 national guard troops that Trump federalized despite California leaders’ protests will soon grow to 4,000. Beginning Tuesday, 700 more marines arrived.
Here are some verified facts about Trump’s claims.
Trump makes up the idea that protesters are participating in a “foreign invasion” by flying foreign flags.
Trump made the ludicrous accusation that paid “rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion” are spearheading the demonstrations against immigration raids in Los Angeles during his intensely partisan speech at Fort Bragg.
Donald Trump’s homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, made an unfounded accusation earlier this week that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was “encouraging violent protests.” The remarks echoed accusations made by top Trump adviser and speechwriter Stephen Miller, who claimed on social media on Sunday that “foreign nationals, waving foreign flags” were “rioting.”.
Sheinbaum declared the accusation to be “completely untrue” on Tuesday.
In a show of ethnic pride and solidarity with immigrants in their community who are currently being targeted by immigration officials, some protesters have waved the flags of Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador in recent days, as well as flags that combine the flags of those countries with the US flag.
The unfounded conspiracy theory that bricks were set up for protesters in Los Angeles is repeated by Trump.
Trump also brought up a widely circulated conspiracy theory that protesters in Los Angeles were given pallets of bricks to throw at police officers. “They brought bricks,” Trump remarked.
In 2020, this assertion was made on numerous occasions during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that followed George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
The Trump White House fueled the viral conspiracy theory in June 2020, the week after Floyd was killed, by publishing a collection of social media video clips of people who mistakenly thought that “Antifa and professional anarchists” had planted brick piles they found there to incite violence during protests.
The White House removed the video from its official social media accounts without providing an explanation or apology within hours after reporters revealed that the footage had included piles of bricks from construction projects that were underway prior to the protests. However, this was only after the video had received over a million views on Twitter alone.
Trump propagates a wild conspiracy theory that claims Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom are “paid troublemakers, agitators, and insurrectionists” in Los Angeles.
Trump also asserted—without any supporting evidence—that Democratic elected officials in California paid demonstrators to assault federal officers.
“The governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles are inept and have paid agitators, insurrectionists, and troublemakers.”. The president stated without mentioning reality, “They are actively working to overturn federal law and facilitate the criminal invaders’ occupation of the city.”.
