Did Trump thank National Guard even before troops reached Los Angeles?

On June 8, United States President Donald Trump praised the California National Guard for its effect to Los Angeles migration enforcement protests.

“Great occupation by the National Guard successful Los Angeles aft 2 days of violence, clashes and unrest,” helium wrote connected Truth Social astatine 02:41 EDT, Eastern Daylight Time, (06:41 GMT) connected Tuesday. He ended the post, “Thank you to the National Guard for a occupation good done!”

But the National Guard had not yet arrived successful Los Angeles, according to quality reports and a spokesperson for the California governor.

The protests successful downtown Los Angeles began connected June 6 successful effect to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) declared the protests an “unlawful assembly” the aforesaid evening and began using teardrop gas, rubber bullets and different deterrents.

Protests continued throughout the weekend, with reports of vandalism, burning cars and looting. Trump announced connected June 7 that helium was deploying 2,000 California National Guard members, an enactment that Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom, some Democrats, criticised arsenic an unnecessary escalation.

Less than an hr aft Trump’s Truth Social post, Bass said the National Guard was not connected scene. “Just to beryllium clear, the National Guard has not been deployed successful the City of Los Angeles,” she wrote connected X.

Later that morning, Newsom criticised Trump’s station praising the National Guard by pointing retired the timeline discrepancy.

“For those keeping track, Donald Trump’s National Guard had not been deployed connected the crushed erstwhile helium posted this,” Newsom wrote connected X.

Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a Newsom spokesperson, told PolitiFact the National Guard deployed connected June 8 betwixt 02:00 PDT, Pacific Daylight Time, and 04:00 PDT, which is 05:00 EDT to 07:00 EDT (09:00 GMT to 11:00 GMT).

The archetypal media reports of California National Guard troops connected the crushed successful Los Angeles were connected June 8 astatine astir 06:00 PDT, oregon astir 09:00 EDT (13:00 GMT). Here’s what we cognize astir the timeline of California National Guard unit activation and arrival.

June 8 timeline

00:51 EDT (04:51 GMT): United States Northern Command, a Department of Defense assemblage that assists with National Guard oversight, said connected X that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “directed US Northern Command to presume bid of 2,000 California National Guard forces to support national unit and national spot successful the greater Los Angeles area”. The station said active-duty US Marines mightiness besides beryllium called to respond.

02:41 EDT (06:41 GMT): Trump praised the National Guard for a “great job”, criticised Newsom and Bass, and described the protests arsenic convulsive unrest.

03:22 EDT (07:22 GMT): Bass posted connected X that the National Guard was not yet present.

04:32 EDT (08:32 GMT): CNN reported it had “seen nary grounds that Guard units are connected the ground”.

Between 05:00 EDT and 07:00 EDT (09:00 GMT-11:00 GMT): The National Guard deployed during this timeframe, according to Crofts-Pelayo.

About 09:00 EDT (13:00 GMT): The Washington Post reported that the earliest photos and videos of National Guard members arriving successful Los Angeles were captured astir this time, which was 06:00 PDT, oregon 09:00 EDT (13:00 GMT).

11:03 EDT (15:03 GMT): US Northern Command reported that members of the California National Guard had arrived successful Los Angeles: “Can corroborate that elements of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the California National Guard person begun deploying to the Los Angeles area, with immoderate already connected the ground.”

12:07 EDT (16:07 GMT): US Northern Command announced that 300 members of the California National Guard were deployed to 3 locations successful the Los Angeles area.

12:08 EDT (16:08 GMT): The California National Guard members gathered adjacent the Metropolitan Detention Centre successful downtown LA, the Los Angeles Times reported.

12:17 EDT (16:17 GMT): The LAPD announced that the National Guard had been deployed to national facilities.

About 13:30 EDT (17:30 GMT): The New York Times reported that astatine 10:30 PDT, “nearly 300 members of the California Guard took positions astatine 3 antithetic sites astir the city”.

KABC-TV, a section quality channel, reported that National Guard members had appeared successful downtown Los Angeles and posted video of troops driving done the metropolis of Paramount.

12:29 EDT (18:29 GMT): US Northern Command posted photos of California National Guard members successful LA, moving with the Department of Homeland Security.

17:06 EDT (21:06 GMT): Trump said helium directed national agencies to coordinate their effect to the Los Angeles protests.

18:27 EDT (22:27 GMT): Newsom posted that helium “formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops successful Los Angeles County and instrumentality them to [his] command”.

20:03 EDT (00:03 GMT): US Northern Command shared a property merchandise connected X announcing that astir 2,000 members of the California National Guard had been “placed nether national command” to beryllium acceptable to assistance successful efforts against LA protests. It reiterated that 300 ​​members of the California Army National Guard were deployed astatine 3 locations.

22:23 EDT (02:23 GMT): Newsom said successful an MSNBC interrogation that helium would record a suit against Trump for taking implicit the California National Guard.

PolitiFact researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.