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At the height of the Los Angeles riots earlier this summer, Trump authorized thousands of National Guard troops to restore order. The streets were spiraling out of control, businesses were looted, and residents were terrified as chaos raged. In response, Trump ordered 4,000 Guard members into action, alongside 700 U.S. Marines, to stop the lawlessness.
Newsom, however, didn’t see it that way. Instead of thanking the federal government for restoring order, he accused Trump of abusing his authority. Judge Breyer sided with him early on, issuing a Temporary Restraining Order to limit the president’s actions. That ruling immediately set the stage for a major legal clash between California Democrats and the Trump administration.
Trump’s Department of Justice quickly appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In a rare move, a three-judge panel gave the administration a temporary reprieve, allowing federal troops to remain in Los Angeles while the case continued. But Breyer, clearly determined to rein in Trump, wasn’t finished.
On Tuesday, Breyer took the next step and issued a sweeping injunction against the White House. He accused President Trump of trying to build a “national police force” with himself at the helm.
“Almost three months after Defendants first deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles, 300 National Guard members remain stationed there. Moreover, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have stated their intention to call National Guard troops into federal service in other cities across the country—including Oakland and San Francisco, here in the Northern District of California—thus creating a national police force with the President as its chief,” Breyer wrote.
The Trump administration is not backing down. Federal officials made it clear that troops will continue to protect federal facilities and personnel, regardless of the injunction.
“The military will remain in Los Angeles,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli declared.
He blasted the ruling as political theater, not grounded in reality. “They protect our federal employees our properties so our federal agents can safely enforce federal laws in the face of the thugs being unleashed and encouraged by state and local politicians,” Essayli said. “This is a false narrative and a misleading injunction. The military has never engaged in direct law enforcement operations here in LA.”
The battle over the National Guard has become another flashpoint in the never-ending feud between Trump and blue-state leaders. California Democrats appear more concerned with challenging the president than with protecting their citizens. Meanwhile, Trump’s team insists they will continue defending federal property and personnel no matter how many roadblocks the courts try to throw in their way.
This fight is far from over, and with Los Angeles still struggling to recover from waves of lawlessness, the stakes could not be higher.
