President threatens to send National Guard to Oregon We’re Gonna Wipe Portland Out
President Trump has indicated that Portland, Oregon could be the next city where he might send National Guard troops to respond to protests. Speaking on Friday, Trump suggested taking action to “wipe out” protesters in Portland, according to the Oregonian.
In an interview, Trump said that although Portland wasn’t initially on his list of cities for possible troop deployment, recent events changed his mind. “I watched television last night” and saw confrontations between federal agents and protesters, whom he described as “paid terrorists.”
Trump warned, “When we go there, if we go to Portland, we’re gonna wipe them out. They’re gonna be gone. They’ve ruined that city. I have people that used to live in Portland. They’ve left. Most of them have left, but what they’ve done to that place is just… it’s like living in hell.”
The White House has not confirmed whether sending troops to Portland is actually planned.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that only a small demonstration related to ICE raids took place recently in a remote area of Portland, and there have been no large-scale protests. The footage Trump referred to may have been a Fox News segment from Thursday that mistakenly combined a viral video from the 2020 George Floyd protests with more recent scenes from Portland.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson responded to the president’s comments by stating that federal intervention is unnecessary. “Like other mayors across the country, I have not asked for—and do not need—federal intervention,” Wilson said in a statement Friday. “We are proud that Portland police have successfully protected freedom of expression while addressing occasional violence and property destruction that takes place during protests at the ICE facility in Portland.”
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