California Sen. Adam Schiff (D), a longtime critic and frequent foe of President Trump, told reporters Monday that the president is actually happy that protests erupted in Los Angeles over his administration’s immigration crackdown.
“It’s this deliberate kind of provocation that is only escalating the situation, but the president doesn’t care about making it worse,” Schiff said during a media briefing in L.A. “He’s more than happy to see violent protests.”
Thousands of people flooded the streets of the nation’s second-most populous city over the weekend to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) workplace raids that began Friday.
Trump deployed thousands of National Guardsmen and Marines to respond to the ongoing demonstrations and protect ICE agents, despite objections from California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
Schiff said Trump’s military response is meant to be a distraction as the Senate reviews Trump’s sweeping tax and spending proposal known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The Trump agenda-setting measure narrowly passed the GOP-controlled House last month and is facing an uphill climb in the Senate, where some Republican lawmakers have argued that it doesn’t cut spending enough.
“It gives him something to talk about, something other than his big ugly bill that’s going to blow a hole in the deficit, take away people’s healthcare,” Schiff told reporters. “So, for him, this is a wonderful distraction.”
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