President Donald Trump on Tuesday used a landmark speech celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army to issue a powerful warning to rioters in Los Angeles and their political defenders. He declared that the federal government would “liberate Los Angeles” from what he described as “Third World lawlessness” and criminal control.
Speaking at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Trump condemned the escalating unrest in Los Angeles, where anti-ICE protests have raged for five consecutive nights following immigration enforcement raids.
Demonstrators have blocked freeways, burned vehicles, and waved foreign flags—including Mexican and Palestinian banners—while clashing with federal agents and local police.
“We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. That’s what they are,” Trump told a crowd of soldiers, veterans, and their families. “Very simply, we will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean, and safe again.”
Trump blasted Democratic officials in California for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, accusing them of encouraging chaos. He criticized Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom, both of whom have resisted the deployment of federal troops.
“Without the reinforcements, LA would be burning today just like the houses were burning a number of months ago,” Trump said, referencing the destructive wildfires that swept through the state earlier this year. “Generations of Army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and Third World lawlessness.”
The president defended his decision to send 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines to the city, saying the military was necessary to protect federal law enforcement and restore order. California officials have pushed back, with Newsom asking a federal court to block the deployment and accusing Trump of inciting the unrest.
As the violence continued in downtown Los Angeles, Mayor Bass announced a curfew and declared a local emergency after 23 businesses were vandalized Monday night. “We reached a tipping point,” she said in a press conference.
In his speech, Trump also revived a major culture-war flashpoint by announcing that several military bases would have their names restored to honor Confederate figures, reversing changes made by the Biden administration.
Bases like Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, and Fort Robert E. Lee will return to their previous designations, Trump said, dismissing the renaming as “woke garbage.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll joined Trump at the event. Hegseth, addressing the crowd, echoed Trump’s sentiments: “We’re not a college or a university. We’re not interested in your woke garbage and political correctness.”
Tuesday’s speech comes ahead of a massive military parade planned for Saturday—Trump’s 79th birthday—where tanks and missile demonstrations will roll through Washington, D.C., in a show of strength. Protests under the “No Kings Day” banner are also expected, but Trump warned they would be met with “very heavy force.”
“If they show up at our parade,” he said, “they will be met with very big force.”
As Trump positions himself for a second term with a hardline message on law and order, Los Angeles may become the central battleground in a growing fight between federal authority and left-wing resistance.