Donald Trump faced a whirlwind of backlash when he attended the Kennedy Center. Specifically, he went to a performance of Les Misérables at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. The ex-commander in chief and First Lady Melania Trump made their entrance. The speech was received by the audience with rapturous boos, cheers, and Lisbon irony. This visit coincided with significant protests occurring in Los Angeles, where Trump had recently deployed the National Guard amid civil unrest related to his immigration policies.
California Governor Gavin Newsom reacted very strongly against Trump’s moves. He called him a “stone cold liar” and charged him with using troop deployment as political theater and “weaponizing” it. Newsom’s comments reflect escalating tensions between state and federal authorities over Trump’s decisions regarding troop deployment to manage protests against his immigration crackdown.
Protests and National Guard Deployment
On one side, protests quickly coalesced around Los Angeles, animated by intense resentment towards Trump’s draconian immigration reform. Community groups were instrumental in sparking this movement with scathing criticisms of those measures. To quell the unrest, Trump went on the offensive. In his announcement, he authorized the deployment of up to 4,000 National Guard troops to “safeguard federal property” and protect federal agents. The president’s decision called for the deployment of up to 700 U.S. Marines to help support local law enforcement partners.
Local law enforcement agencies have been tasked with handling the protests, arresting dozens in clashes with protesters. After the Trump administration curtailed National Guard oversight, opposition has mounted against using them. All the while, many believe that Trump is acting to “federalize” enforcement action and suppress such civil unrest.
“The first night they were deployed our police officers had to protect the national guard. They became a destination for the protests and it was local police that had to protect them. This is how ridiculous this whole thing is.” – Gavin Newsom
Gov. Newsom argued at the time, Trump’s deployment of active duty troops was a waste of military resources and politically driven. He claimed that it served a riot control function as opposed to diffusing the real issues that led to the protests.
Controversy Over Communication
Trump claimed he had consulted with Newsom before deploying troops, suggesting there was a cooperative effort to address the protests. That’s exactly what Newsom strongly denied, calling the claim a falsehood.
“He never brought it up. Period. Full stop. He lied about that.” – Gavin Newsom
This brief exchange illustrates the incredible tension that still exists between state and federal leaders. Both proponents and opponents are already accusing each other of misrepresenting the truth to voters. Newsom expressed the moral high ground points about using National Guard members as political pawns in Trump’s anti-immigration campaign.
“I’ve said it’s immoral, it puts people’s lives at risk, they are using these men and women as pawns.” – Gavin Newsom
California is already planning to sue Trump over his troop deployment, should that come to fruition. This move will initiate a historic legal showdown in federal court over the appropriate balance of state and federal power.
A Divided Audience at the Kennedy Center
While Trump was met with angry and exuberant reception alike at the Kennedy Center, his presence ignited alternative discourse over the political tensions. Les Misérables was remarkable for its inclusion of drag queens, in all their finery. This made the atmosphere of irony particularly rich for Trump’s presence, not least because of his administration’s ongoing efforts to undermine LGBTQ+ rights.
Under Trump’s comments during this time lies a common thread that his administration’s policies are simply misinformed or misrepresented. It allowed him to complain about finally having to face consequences for his dangerous rhetoric and actions. Concurrently, he insisted that his immigration policies were helping American farmers and businesses.
“Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace.” – Donald Trump
Critics, even critics from the right such as Newsom, find this invigorating move divisive, maintaining that Trump’s policies deepen social divides while threatening at risk communities. Political leaders, citizens, and everyone in between come to terms with the new state of things that Trump created, and tempers flare in California. The gap in their perspectives only deepens.