President Donald Trump on Saturday announced plans to deploy troops to Portland, Oregon, authorizing the use of “full force, if necessary,” in response to what he described as escalating threats from “domestic terrorists.”
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president said he had directed the Department of Defense to provide “all necessary troops to protect war-ravaged Portland,” specifically citing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities he claims are “under siege from Antifa and other domestic terrorists.”
The White House has not released further details about the planned deployment, including the number of troops, timeline, or operational scope. The Pentagon also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The announcement marks an expansion of Trump’s controversial use of federal force in domestic cities as part of his broader crackdown on left-wing activism and protest movements. Since the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, Trump has intensified his rhetoric against what he calls the “radical left,” blaming them for political violence and civil unrest.
The ICE facility in Portland has been a focal point of ongoing demonstrations, some of which have resulted in violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement. Several federal officers have reportedly been injured in recent months, and multiple protesters have been charged with assault. Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security condemned the appearance of a protestor-erected guillotine as “unhinged behavior.”
Trump has previously floated the idea of deploying the National Guard to other cities, including Chicago, although those plans were never implemented. In Memphis, Tennessee, a smaller deployment of approximately 150 troops is expected, significantly fewer than the forces used in Washington, D.C., during prior unrest or in Los Angeles following immigration-related demonstrations.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump hinted at impending action in Portland. “We’re going to get out there and we’re going to do a pretty big number on those people in Portland,” he said, referring to demonstrators as “professional agitators and anarchists.”
The move is likely to fuel debate over the federal government’s use of military force on U.S. soil, particularly in Democratic-led cities, and follows a string of high-profile interventions by the Trump administration in local policing matters.
