WASHINGTON, June 9. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has rejected accusations from California Governor Gavin Newsom that he is inciting civil war in the United States.
"[I want] just the opposite. I don’t want a civil war. Civil war would happen if you left it, if you left it to people like him, and I like him, you know, I always got along with him. Never had a problem with him, but he's grossly incompetent," Trump told reporters at the White House, responding to statements made by Newsom. The California governor had alleged that the president’s actions in response to the unrest in Los Angeles were tantamount to provoking a civil war.
Trump also stated that the US federal government had no choice but to deploy National Guard units to suppress the unrest in California.
According to earlier reports by American media, on June 6 mass arrests of undocumented migrants began in Los Angeles. By the evening of June 7, at least 44 individuals had been taken into custody on charges of violating immigration laws. The actions of law enforcement sparked demonstrations in the city. According to CBS, protesters attempted to obstruct law enforcement activities, blocked roadways, and threw rocks and firecrackers at officers from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Over the weekend, police arrested at least 56 individuals during the unrest in Los Angeles. In San Francisco, where protests against the US administration’s immigration policies followed those in Los Angeles, police detained approximately 60 individuals on June 8.