National Guard 'now in place' in Oregon, says Trump

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that the National Guard was officially deployed in the state of Oregon to confront what he described as a continued breakdown of law and order.

"The National Guard is now in place, and has been dedicated to restoring law and order, and ending the chaos, death, and destruction!" Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Trump said he activated the National Guard on Sept. 27 and asserted that conditions in Oregon “continue to deteriorate into lawless mayhem.”

"Our great federal law enforcement officers have not been able to enforce the laws in Oregon. Antifa and the radical left anarchists have been viciously attacking our federal law enforcement officers, men and women who are simply doing their job, protecting federal property, and enforcing federal immigration laws and the rule of law.

"We will never allow mobs to take over our streets, burn our cities, or destroy America," he added.

Trump also took direct aim at Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, accusing her of being out of touch with the severity of the situation.

"The Governor of Oregon must be living in a 'Dream World.' Portland is a never-ending disaster. Many people have been badly hurt, and even killed," he said, defending the federal intervention by portraying it as a patriotic necessity.

Oregon and the city of Portland sued the Trump administration on Sunday to stop it from deploying National Guard troops to Portland.

Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard in multiple US cities run by Democratic mayors, including Chicago, Illinois, Baltimore, Maryland and New Orleans, Louisiana. The president authorized the deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, DC in August.