The president of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, said that “he is not worried at all” for the order of President Donald Trump to send 2,000 national guard troops to Los Angeles to quell the immigration protests that have resulted in clashes between the protesters and the application of the law.
“I think the president did exactly what he had to do,” Johnson told ABC News “This Week”, Jonathan Karl, Sunday. “These are federal laws and we have to maintain the rule of law. And that is not what is happening. [California Gov.] Gavin Newsom has demonstrated an inability or lack of will to do what is necessary there. “
“That is a real leadership, and he has the authority and responsibility to do so,” said the speaker, defending Trump’s decision.
California officials have said that deploying the National Guard is unnecessary. Newsom said the measure was “on an inflammatory purpose and will only increase tensions.”
The speaker of the Mike Johnson House talks with ABC News while appearing this week on June 8, 2025.
ABC News
“The federal government is sowing chaos so that they can have an excuse to intensify. That is not the way in which no civilized country behaves,” the governor published in X.
The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegesh, said on Saturday that the Marines in active duty at the Pendleton camp will mobilize “if the violence continues.”
When asked about Hegseth’s comments, Johnson said: “One of our main principles is to maintain peace through force. We also do it on foreign matters and domestic issues. I don’t think it’s hard.”
“Don’t you think that sending the Marines to the streets of an American city is hard?” Karl pressed.
“We have to be prepared to do what is necessary, and I think the notification that this could happen could have the deterrent effect,” said the speaker.
The president’s decision to deploy the National Guard occurs after his dramatic and public that fights with Elon Musk, whose role in the government ended just over a week ago.
Johnson said he has not yet talked to Musk since he turned to his social media platform to exploit Trump’s legislative priority that Republicans are trying to pass through Congress, but have exchanged text messages.
“The president used the word ‘disappointing.’ I think it’s correct.
“Look, Elon’s number one responsibility is to save his company. The president and I have the responsibility of saving this country, and that is what this bill does. And we are really excited and proud of this product,” he added.
When asked what his text messages said with Musk, Johnson said Musk expressed concern about spending.
“And I said: ‘Elon, the categories of expenses in this bill are found in two limited areas: the border, which we promised to the American people we would do and their defense,” he said. “Everything else in the bill is about historical savings and tax cuts.”
In response to Musk’s suggestion so that people call their members of Congress to “kill in the bill,” said Johnson, “we hardly have calls to offices.”
“Look, I did not go out to elaborate legislation to please the richest man in the world. What we are trying to do is help the Americans who try to keep their families to reach the end of the month.”
Johnson avoided a question about whether Trump should advance by reducing Musk government contracts.
“I’m not going to get into the strategy of what happens with all that,” he said.
The speaker said he hopes that the dispute will “resolve” and said: “I will continue trying to be a peacemaker in all this.”
Johnson added that he believes that “it would be a big mistake” for Musk to persecute the Republicans who support the great act of Big Beautiful Bill.
“I think Elon knows, at the end of the day, the reason he was involved to help President Trump win and help Republicans win the majority in the Chamber and the Senate is because he understands that our policies are better for human flowering, they are better for the economy of the United States, they are better for everything that is involved,” said Johnson. “I think that when the emotion is established, I think it will recognize that we have no other option. We have to celebrate most of the camera in the medium -term elections of 2026, and we will do it because we have to allow President Trump for four full years, not just two.”
