- “President Trump has directed ‘all necessary Troops’ to Portland, Oregon. The number of necessary troops is zero, in Portland and any other American city. Our nation has a long memory for acts of oppression, and the president will not find lawlessness or violence here unless he plans to perpetrate it.” – Portland Mayor Keith Wilson
President Donald Trump escalated tensions Saturday after the White House circulated what it called an “official list” of Democratic-elected officials and leaders who have criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The list has since been amplified across right-wing platforms and framed as an “enemies list,” raising alarms from state leaders, civil rights advocates, and Democratic officials who say the move is reckless and dangerous.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the White House action in sharp terms.
“The White House knows exactly what it was doing when they published a list of Democrats who have used their voice to call out Trump & Miller’s ICE abuses. The list is now being used by the far right as an enemies list. It’s reckless. It’s dangerous. And it puts lives at risk. The Governor has made it clear, consistently, that violence is never justified. Trump must tone it down,” Newsom said.
The list compiles dozens of statements made by Democratic lawmakers and city officials over the past several years criticizing ICE’s tactics.
Members of Congress including Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Pramila Jayapal, and Ilhan Omar are cited for remarks describing ICE as “terrorizing our communities,” “deranged,” “vile and beyond cruel,” and operating as a “rogue agency.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders is quoted as asking people to “figure out a way to stop ICE from what they are doing as soon as possible.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is cited for claiming ICE is “intentionally stok[ing] fear” and “tear[ing] communities apart.”
Other entries highlight Democratic lawmakers comparing ICE to “slave patrols,” “Gestapo,” or “secret police,” rhetoric long used to underscore fears about authoritarian drift in federal immigration enforcement.
The publication of the list quickly generated reactions across the political spectrum.
Right-wing commentators amplified it as evidence of disloyalty by Democrats, while critics of the administration warned it resembled historical enemies lists used by authoritarian governments to stigmatize and endanger political opponents.
The release coincided with Trump’s latest directive ordering military deployments to Portland, Oregon, in the name of defending ICE facilities.
“At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists. I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary,” Trump wrote in a social media post Saturday morning.
Local and state leaders in Oregon immediately pushed back. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson rejected the justification for any troop presence.
“President Trump has directed ‘all necessary Troops’ to Portland, Oregon. The number of necessary troops is zero, in Portland and any other American city. Our nation has a long memory for acts of oppression, and the president will not find lawlessness or violence here unless he plans to perpetrate it,” Wilson said in a statement.
He added: “Imagine if the federal government sent hundreds of engineers, or teachers, or outreach workers to Portland, instead of a short, expensive, and fruitless show of force.”
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek wrote on social media Saturday that her office had not been notified why the troops were being deployed.
“My office is reaching out to the White House and Homeland Security for more information. We have been provided no information on the reason or purpose of any military mission,” she said. “There is no national security threat in Portland. Our communities are safe and calm.”
Sen. Jeff Merkley accused the president of deliberately provoking unrest.
“Here is what I do know — the president has sent agents here to create chaos and riots here in Portland, to induce a reaction. To induce protests. To induce conflicts. His goal is to make Portland look as he was describing it as. Our job is to say, ‘We are not going to take the bait.’”
The White House has not clarified which troops would be deployed or what “full force” authorization entails.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed the decision followed “weeks of violent riots at ICE facilities” and attacks against law enforcement. “We will not allow Antifa domestic terrorists to deter us in our mission to make America safe, and those who try will be held accountable,” McLaughlin said.
Critics argued that the administration’s rhetoric is inflaming tensions rather than easing them.
One Democratic source, speaking on background, said, “He’s absolutely desperate for a civil war, so he can cancel the midterm elections. But, so far people have been too smart to take the bait. What a weird and dangerous man.”
The controversy also comes as the Trump administration presses forward with threats of a government shutdown.
Politico reported that the Office of Management and Budget has instructed agencies to prepare “reduction-in-force plans” targeting employees in programs not legally required to continue. A senior White House official was quoted saying, “He read all the shit they’re asking for, and he said, ‘on second thought, go fuck yourself.’”
The remark was in reference to Democratic demands that any funding agreement include the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies providing health coverage for more than 20 million Americans. Democrats have insisted the subsidies, expanded in 2021 and set to expire at the end of the year, must be part of any deal. The White House has rejected the demand outright.
“Historically, it’s the aggressor that always loses,” the senior official told Politico. “And quite simply, their constituencies and their priorities are all going to get chewed up, and ours, not so much.”
Democrats have responded with increasingly blunt rhetoric, part of what some observers describe as a deliberate shift to meet Trump’s combative style.
The Guardian recently reported that Democrats are abandoning poll-tested messaging in favor of what party officials describe as rawer, more authentic communication.
“Things are really fucked up right now,” Rep. Robert Garcia said in a TikTok video earlier this year, reflecting a trend of Democratic lawmakers adopting sharper tones on social media.
“We’re tired of being seen as weak and out of touch,” said Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, in remarks quoted by The Guardian. “So we’re fighting back — and the language, I think, mirrors the frustration and the urgency.”
Newsom himself has embraced the approach, saying in a podcast appearance in August, “I’m sick of being weak. We’re going to punch these sons of bitches in the mouth.”
The convergence of the White House’s publication of an enemies list, its orders for troop deployments in Portland, and its shutdown brinkmanship has alarmed many political observers who warn of democratic backsliding. Civil liberties advocates point to the dangers of combining official enemies lists with military threats against U.S. cities, arguing that it marks a clear step toward authoritarian practices.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to cast Democrats as “unserious and ridiculous” in negotiations, while insisting Republicans will not be blamed for a shutdown. At the same time, he has sought to tie Democrats to culture war attacks, accusing them of wanting to “force Taxpayers to fund Transgender surgery for minors,” a claim even some Republicans have disputed.
In Portland, city officials reiterated their commitment to peace.
“Our communities are safe and calm,” Gov. Kotek wrote. Mayor Wilson repeated that any show of force would be “short, expensive, and fruitless.”
Yet across social media, the White House list of ICE critics continues to circulate among Trump supporters, who have described those on it as “terrorists” and “agitators.” For critics, the development underscores the risks of political speech being weaponized by those in power. As Newsom warned, “It’s reckless. It’s dangerous. And it puts lives at risk.”
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“The list has since been amplified across right-wing platforms and framed as an “enemies list”
Who framed it as an “enemies list”? Newsom?
“Trump must tone it down,” Newsom said.”
Laughable, coming from Newsom who has been putting out some dangerous rhetoric himself in the last few months.
” As Newsom warned, “It’s reckless. It’s dangerous. And it puts lives at risk.”, but then he’s also says “We’re going to punch these sons of bitches in the mouth.”
So which is it?
These are parts of some recent tweets put out by Governor Newsom’s Press Office:
“STEPHEN MILLER IS A FASCIST!”
“MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT “SUBMISSIVE STEPHEN” (“SS”) MILLER IS THROWING THE BIGGEST, MOST PATHETIC “TANTRUM” IN THE ENTIRE WEST WING. CRYING, STOMPING, WAILING, “OUR QUOTAS! OUR ARRESTS OF CHILDREN! HOW WILL WE SURVIVE WITHOUT RAIDING THE INNOCENT?!”
How are these helpful and not stoking the fire?
“Much of our public discourse has become dangerous nonsense” – Neil Postman, 1985
But apparently it only because observable when it’s the “other side” spewing it
Don’t act like you not partisan in your writings.
That’s very observable…
I’ll wait for your article on “Newsom Escalates Tensions…”
I’ve been warning about this for quite some time, but apparently you only became aware of the consequences when Charlie Kirk was killed, and even then only in a uni-directional manner. You’re complaining about the reaction and never said a word about the initial phase.
Like I said, I’ll wait for your article on “Newsom Escalates Tensions…”
Physician, heal thyself
Are you looking in a mirror?
I sometimes wonder what “normal” Trump supporters think of his presidency. We do hear overwhelming criticism from those who didn’t support him in the first place, but what about the majority who ensured his election?
My guess is that they don’t like him going after people like Comey, and didn’t really think through how difficult/messy it is to deport those in the country illegally.
Not sure what the majority thinks of his tariffs.
The stock market has continued to do well.
But one thing that does seem to be true of Trump is that he doesn’t like war, and attempts to disengage from it. (Except for bombing small boats that are reportedly engaged in the drug trade.)
Are there any?
You think that more than half of the voters in this country aren’t “normal”?
I was recently passing through a small town in the Bay Area, where a small bunch of “oldsters” (older than me) were protesting Trump on the street corners. (Truth be told, it seemed like a waste of time to me, though they seemed to enjoy encouraging motorists to honk and wave.)
Maybe next time, someone like Trump will “lose” in California? :-)
Then again, I recall one of the local “usual suspects” (a likeable person) went to Nevada during the recent election, as part of a failed attempt to convince voters there.
“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.”
It seems that Yeats was on to something
You may be seeing something that I’m not seeing (at least to the same degree).
The older I get, the more I realize that (most) politics doesn’t have much of a personal impact on my own life, or those around me (whom I know, at least).
The systems are still in place. Comey is not in a gulag so far, though that type of action creates a lot of personal expense. (Trump himself is pretty used to defending himself in civil and criminal matters, at this point. Essentially, a cost of doing business.)
I still don’t know why Trump is so angry at Comey – especially since he (and the timing of his “reporting” of Hillary’s emails) are reportedly a primary reason why Trump won the first time.
I also wonder about voters who think to themselves, “ya know – I would have voted for Hillary, except for the lack of proper handling of emails. Therefore, I think I’ll vote for her “evil opposite”, instead.”
We aren’t there yet… but the system is becoming unmoored. When you see Newsom gaining traction by emulating and mocking Trump, when you see the Democrats believing that the best response is to fighting fire with fire, then we are getting closer to the point of no return. What happens when Trump sends troops into Portland and all hell breaks loose – as it will inevitably happen at some point somewhere… Right now the guardrails are being slowly but surely broken down.
And yet, if you tune out what some think is “news” . . .
Even something like Charlie Kirk – does that actually impact anyone other than those who personally knew him?
As far as Portland is concerned, those looking for a fight might be able to find it there (as usual). But somehow, I don’t think so this time.
I have a friend who lives in Oregon (who doesn’t seem to be a political ideologue, one way or another). However, he does talk about how Portland has declined, in his view. My guess is that “normal” people are pretty much similar to him.
I’m rather “normal” myself (except for YIMBYs and those like them – they apparently “get my goat”).
We’ll see. I still hope cooler heads with prevail, but I’m losing hope quickly
“Are there any?”
Physician, heal thyself.
David, are you in that Gulag yet?
It’s coming, they are getting closer and closer
One “problem” (and this isn’t intended as an insult) is that you’re not “important-enough” to put into a Gulag. Nor is anyone reading this.
Alligator Alcatraz doesn’t have sufficient space to accommodate you (or half the country which doesn’t support Trump).
You would think
Well, it would solve the “housing crisis”, at least.
So Trump voters aren’t normal and you feel you’re getting closer to being put in a Gulag?
No over the top rhetoric there. LOL
But now he’ll probably tell us he’s only joking…
“So Trump voters aren’t normal and you feel you’re getting closer to being put in a Gulag?”
Yes, but an oversimplifcation
If a nationwide poll were taken, I’m pretty sure that they would view you as more “abnormal” than the average Trump voter (if they studied the Vanguard). (Including the likely responses from those who didn’t vote for Trump.)
They would also view it as “abnormal” to claim that men can be women (and vice-versa).
In fact, I suspect that you’re in the (national) minority regarding almost every political position you have, and that Trump’s views and actions are somewhat more reflective of the majority.
But that no one (including Trump himself) would support sending you to Alligator Alcatraz or a prison in El Salvador.
Let me ask a question I’ve been wondering about: Do you think that Trump’s convictions were largely a result of politics? (I do – regardless of whether or not he was guilty.)
You didn’t ask about that
I just did ask (the first time I’ve done so).
As I said, I personally believe that Trump’s convictions were the result of politics, more than the apparent crime itself.
I also believe that (to a lesser degree), politics was behind some of the aggressive prosecutions of those involved with the January 6th riots. Put me on a jury, and I’m not going to send someone to prison for 10 years for walking through a broken door into the capitol, and sitting at Pelosi’s desk – even with their feet up on it. (Not saying that’s exactly what occurred, but I think the point is there.)
I consider myself several standard deviations away from the center. But one of the points I’ve made is that the center hasn’t held and so it’s kind of like calibrating to a moving target.
“Study: Left-wing terrorism outpaces far-right attacks for first time in 30 years”
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/28/left-wing-terrorism-far-right-violence-research