President Trump announced Saturday that he would deploy U.S. troops to Portland, intensifying his administration’s crackdown on what he described as a campaign of “domestic terrorism” targeting federal property and Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities.
“At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” Mr. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The order comes just days after the president formally designated antifa a domestic terrorist organization, giving the government broad authority to investigate the network’s operations and its support structures.
The White House said antifa “coordinate[s] with other organizations and entities for the purpose of spreading, fomenting, and advancing political violence and suppressing lawful political speech.”
For Mr. Trump and his allies, the Portland deployment marks both a continuation of the administration’s law-and-order posture and a test of federal resolve in a city long identified with radical left-wing activism.
The president has argued that unchecked violence has eroded public safety in Oregon’s largest city, making a direct federal response necessary.
Not all officials share that view. Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, claimed on Friday that there were “credible” reports federal agents “may be replaying the 2020 playbook and surging into Portland with the goal of provoking conflict and violence in my hometown.” He added: “Portland is a peaceful, vibrant city with no need for federal agents on our streets. I urge Oregonians not to fall into Trump’s attempt to incite violence.”
But the images of Portland in recent years have told a different story. For conservatives, the city has become a symbol of progressive governance gone awry—once known as a thriving, livable urban center, now associated with street clashes, boarded-up businesses and a steady rise in crime.
Mr. Trump’s order builds on earlier deployments of federal forces. In August, he sent National Guard members to Washington, D.C., citing the need to confront rising crime in the capital.
And on Friday, Tennessee’s Republican governor, Bill Lee, confirmed that federal forces, including Guard units, would soon be arriving in Memphis.
The administration’s efforts have drawn support from Republican officials who argue that decisive federal action is overdue.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who previously represented Oregon’s 5th congressional district, said she has personally witnessed the city’s decline. “I’ve seen firsthand how lawlessness has transformed Portland from a beautiful place to live to a crime-ridden war zone,” she wrote on X. “Thank you, @POTUS, for taking action to keep our ICE facilities protected and Make America Safe Again!”
By authorizing what he called “full force, if necessary,” Mr. Trump is signaling that the federal government will not retreat in the face of antifa or other militant groups.
The move underscores his central campaign message: that safety, order, and the rule of law must be restored in cities that, in his view, have been abandoned by local leaders.
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