The US President said he had authorised “FULL FORCE” to be used against protesters as he pushed ahead with his assault on his ‘radical left’ opponents
Donald Trump ordered troops to use ‘full force’ against protesters in another US city.
Claiming he was targeting “domestic terrorists”, the planned deployment is aimed at people protesting against the behaviour and often violent tactics of immigration officers in Portland, Oregon.
Making the announcement on his Truth Social platform, he said the decision was necessary to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, which he described as “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”
“Antifa” is a general term for anti-fascists, but has been co-opted and misused by the Trump administration as if it was a real group with members and leaders.
Trump has even gone to the extent of designating Antifa a ‘domestic terror’ organisation – leading to fears he’ll use the designation to violently put down any protests against him and his policies.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for details on Trump’s announcement, such as a timeline for the deployment or what troops would be involved.
He previously threatened to send the National Guard into Chicago without following through.
A deployment in Memphis, Tennessee, is expected to include only about 150 troops, far less than were sent to the District of Columbia for Trump’s crackdown or in Los Angeles in response to immigration protests.
Pentagon officials did not immediately respond to requests for information.
Since the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, Trump has escalated his efforts to confront what he calls the “radical left,” which he blames for the country’s problems with political violence.
He deployed the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in the nation’s capital.
The ICE facility in Portland has been the target of frequent demonstrations, sometimes leading to violent clashes. Some federal agents have been injured and several protesters have been charged with assault. When protesters erected a guillotine earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security described it as “unhinged behavior.”
Trump, in comments Thursday in the Oval Office, suggested some kind of operation was in the works.
“We’re going to get out there and we’re going to do a pretty big number on those people in Portland,” he said, describing them as “professional agitators and anarchists.”
Earlier in September, Trump had described living in Portland as “like living in hell” and said he was considering sending in federal troops, as he has recently threatened to do to combat crime in other cities, including Chicago and Baltimore.
“Like other mayors across the country, I have not asked for -– and do not need -– federal intervention,” Portland’s mayor, Keith Wilson, said in a statement after Trump’s threat. Wilson said his city had protected freedom of expression while “addressing occasional violence and property destruction.”
In Tennessee, Memphis has been bracing for an influx of National Guard troops, and on Friday, Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who helped coordinate the operation, said they will be part of a surge of resources to fight crime in the city.