Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday that efforts to curb civil unrest in Los Angeles are showing signs of success, but warned that the Trump administration is prepared to take further action if necessary.
“Right now, in California, what we’re doing is working,” Bondi told reporters. “By bringing in the National Guard, by bringing in the Marines, right now, to back them up, to protect our federal buildings, to protect highways, to protect the citizens.”
Bondi praised the current federal response, indicating that a more aggressive move, such as invoking the Insurrection Act, was not currently on the table. “So, right now, in California, we’re at a good point,” she said. “We’re not scared to go further. We’re not frightened to do something else if we need to.”
The Trump administration has deployed thousands of National Guard troops and mobilized hundreds of Marines in response to the ongoing unrest. The federal forces have been tasked with securing federal properties, infrastructure, and assisting in crowd control.
Bondi also highlighted local measures being implemented, such as a curfew put in place in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday night. “Right now, we’re hoping it’s going to get under control,” she said. “We hope the curfew will work, and we’re going to continue to do everything we can to keep California safe if the government of California is not going to help them.”
While the military is generally barred from performing domestic law enforcement duties, the Insurrection Act offers a legal pathway for such involvement. President Trump has not ruled out invoking the law but has thus far stopped short of doing so.
Meanwhile, tensions between the Trump administration and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) continue to escalate. In a post on Truth Social, Trump defended his decision to send in troops, writing, “If our troops didn’t go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now, just like so much of their housing burned to the ground. The great people of Los Angeles are very lucky that I made the decision to go in and help!!!”
Newsom, in a video message Tuesday night, criticized the federal response as a “brazen abuse of power.”
As the situation develops, federal officials say they remain vigilant and ready to escalate their response if conditions on the ground require it.
