Remarks in an Exchange With Reporters Prior to Departure for Camp David, Maryland, in Morristown, New Jersey

The President. So I rarely do this, but I'm giving you two for the price of one. We have Marco. And I said, "Come on, let's go see the fake news and enjoy ourselves, get a couple of nice questions."

How are you? Who would like to ask a question?

Political Protests in Los Angeles, California

Q. Mr. President, on California. Are you prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act.

The President. Depends on whether or not there's an insurrection.

Q. Do you believe there is, sir?

The President. No. No, but you have violent people, and we're not going to let them get away with it.

Immigration Enforcement Actions

Q. Mr. President, do you think if Democrats continue to side with illegal aliens over law enforcement that they'll ever be able to win a national election again?

The President. I love this guy. I think—that is a great—who are you with?

Q. Breitbart News.

The President. Great—it's a great group, Breitbart. Great group.

I think that you're going to see some very strong law and order.

Political Protests in Los Angeles, California

Q. And did you have a response to CNN's Dana Bash suggesting that this wasn't a real riot in Los Angeles.

The President. Is that what she said?

Q. I believe so. Yes, this morning.

The President. Oh, I think it was a riot. I think it was very bad. It was covered, really, as a riot by almost everybody.

The President's Schedule

Q. Mr. President, on Camp David, sir. What is the purpose of your meetings at Camp David over the next 24 hours?

The President. We're going up to Camp David. We have meetings with various people about very major subjects, and we thought we'd do it at Camp David. There's probably better security there than any place. We'll be meeting with a lot of people, including generals, as you know, and admirals.

Q. Can you say what the meetings are about?

The President. No. No. But we'll be meeting with military people and others.

The President's Meetings at Camp David

Q. And will there be any foreign visitors at Camp David?

The President. I can't say that.

Political Protests in Los Angeles, California/Deployment of National Guard Troops

Q. Even if you don't plan to invoke the Insurrection Act, do you plan to send troops to Los Angeles?

The President. What?

Q. Even if you're not planning to invoke the Insurrection Act, do you still plan to send troops?

The President. Well, we're going to have troops everywhere. We're not going to let this happen to our country. We're not going to let our country be torn apart like it was under Biden and his autopen.

Potential Deployment of U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, California

Q. What is the bar for sending marines to the city?

The President. The bar is what I think it is. I mean, if we see danger to our country and to our citizens, we'll be very, very strong in terms of law and order. It's about law and order.

Q. Is sending Active Duty marines on the table, sir? Secretary Hegseth——

The President. We're going to see what we need. We'll send whatever we need to make sure there's law and order.

Political Protests in Los Angeles, California

Q. Mr. President, do you foresee those protests spreading to other cities—Chicago, New York, for example—in the next few days and weeks?

The President. Well, if you have protests, we're going to be watching it very closely.

And when they spit at people—you know, they spit. That's their new thing. They spit and worse. You know what they throw at them, right? And when that happens, I have a little statement. They say, "They spit, we hit." And I told them: "Nobody's going to spit on our police officers. Nobody's going to spit on our military," which they do as a common thing. They get up to them this far away, and then they start spitting in their face. That happens, they get hit very hard.

Use of Federal Troops in U.S. Cities

Q. What are the rules of engagement for Federal troops?

The President. We're just going to see what happens. If we think there's a serious insurrection, or less than that, we're going to have law and order. Very important.

Political Protests in Los Angeles, California

Q. How would you define an insurrection?

The President. Well, you have to really—just have to look at the site. You have to see what's happening.

Last night, in Los Angeles—we watched it very closely—there was a lot of violence there. There was a lot of violence, and it could have gotten much worse. And you have an incompetent Governor. Just take a look at the—at the train stations that he's building: like 20 times over budget. Nobody's ever seen anything like it.

So I did call him the other night. I said, "Look, you've got to take care of this, otherwise, I'm sending in the troops." That's what we did.

Thank you very much. Do you have a question for Marco?

Q. Mr. President, how——

The President. A question for Marco?

Immigration Enforcement Actions

Q. Oh, I just—curious if California officials could face Federal charges if they stand in the way of the deportations—something that Homan may have suggested.

The President. If officials stand in the way of law and order, yes, they will face charges.

Thank you very much.