Democrats Search for a Cohesive Message on the LA Protests — Other Than Blaming Trump

There isn’t much congressional Democrats can do about protests in Los Angeles, but they are clear they don’t approve of Trump’s decision to send in the National Guard.

Donald Trump
President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally. Alex Brandon/AP

In a move not seen since the Civil Rights Movement, President Donald Trump is sending in the military to a state without the governor’s permission to stop protests. Democrats still seem to be working out how to talk about it.

The protests started Friday after a series of Trump-directed immigration raids in California, and the demonstrations grew more violent once the president deployed National Guard troops to quell the marchers. (California is suing the administration over Trump’s decision to send in the troops, claiming the president is violating its sovereignty.)

But by Monday afternoon, most congressional Democrats had largely stayed quiet about the conflict in California, beyond calling for peace and calling on Trump to revoke the troops he’s deployed.