TRUMP SENDS FEDERAL TROOPS TO PORTLAND, AUTHORIZING MAXIMUM FORCE

President Donald Trump announced a significant escalation of federal action in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, ordering the deployment of U.S. troops and authorizing the use of “Full Force” to subdue protests.

The President described the action on Truth Social as a necessary measure to protect the “war ravaged” city and federal assets, specifically targeting the left-wing anti-fascist movement and other demonstrators.

The Executive Order and its Target

Trump directed Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War, to dispatch the necessary personnel. The mission’s explicit goal is to secure the city and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities that the President claims are “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”

• Maximum Authority: The inclusion of the “Full Force” authorization signals an aggressive stance against the demonstrators, whom Trump has consistently referred to as “professional agitators and anarchists.”
• Context: The deployment follows the administration’s move earlier this week to formally designate Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, providing a new legal framework for the federal intervention.
• Ambiguity: The presidential post did not specify whether the units being deployed are the National Guard or active-duty U.S. military.

Local Officials Condemn Intervention

The federal military deployment comes despite explicit rejections from Portland’s local government, deepening the constitutional standoff between the White House and state officials.

• Mayor’s Opposition: Portland’s Democratic Mayor, Keith Wilson, had previously pushed back against the administration, publicly asserting that he had neither requested nor needed federal forces.
• Congressional Concern: Democratic Oregon Representative Suzanne Bonamici criticized the conduct of federal agents already operating in the state, questioning their objectives. She stated that the agents’ actions do not align with the narrative that they are only targeting those who have committed serious crimes.

This intervention expands the federal government’s controversial domestic use of troops, which the Trump administration has increasingly employed in major American cities under the banner of combating civil unrest and illegal immigration.