California: Kristi Noem says Trump administration is 'not going to let a repeat of 2020 happen' and criticized Newsom's 'bad decisions'

President Donald Trump has deployed 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles to help "keep peace" amid unrest related to protests over immigration raids, as Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced during an appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation Sunday."

Noem defended Trump's decision, attributing the need for federal intervention to the "bad decisions" of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and vowed that the Trump administration will not allow a repeat of the 2020 riots that affected Minneapolis.

Noem emphasized that the administration's priority is to ensure the safety of affected communities and law enforcement officers. "President Trump is putting the safety of the communities being impacted by these riots and by these protests that have turned violent, and he’s putting the safety of our law enforcement officers first," she said.

In addition, the secretary sharply criticized Newsom, accusing him of not acting quickly or effectively enough to control the situation. In that vein, she noted that Trump did not want to wait for Newsom to "get some sanity," pointing out that the deployment of the National Guard was a preemptive measure to avoid an escalation similar to the 2020 riots in Minneapolis, where, according to Noem, the Democratic governor, Tim Walz, was "letting his city burn for days on end," before calling for help.

At the time, Walz called out the National Guard two days after the riots began in Minneapolis, a point that came under fire during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Newsom disassociates himself from the matter

For his part, Newsom responded Saturday, claiming that Trump's deployment of the National Guard was “not because there is a shortage of law enforcement” but because "they want a spectacle."

The governor noted that California has deployed the state's highway patrol to ensure safety on Los Angeles roadways, but clarified that "it's not their job to assist in federal immigration enforcement."

For her part, Noem defended the role of the National Guard, describing them as trained specifically for "this type of crowd situation." According to the secretary, the troops will provide security in key areas, protect those participating in peaceful protests and support law enforcement.

However, she avoided providing details on specific deployment locations or security operations, limiting herself to saying that the troops are in Los Angeles, "they’re there at the direction of the president in order to keep peace and allow people to be able to protest but also to keep law and order."