Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell is pushing back hard against claims made by President Donald Trump that the LAPD requested National Guard assistance during recent protests.
In an interview on CNN’s The Source, McDonnell made it clear: “No, we were not in a position to request the National Guard.”
Trump had told reporters Wednesday evening that the LAPD “didn’t have the police to handle it” and that “the police were asking us to come in.” He claimed federal forces—including the National Guard and Marines—were sent to rescue ICE officers under attack. Trump went so far as to say the city would have burned down without them.
But McDonnell flat-out denied that version of events.
“We’re nowhere near a level where we would be reaching out to the governor for National Guard at this stage,” McDonnell said. “My hope is that things are going in the right direction now and that we wouldn’t have had to have done that and we won’t either.”
He explained how the LAPD handles large-scale incidents, saying the department first uses its own resources, then pulls in help from nearby police and sheriff’s departments if needed. Only after those steps would the city consider asking the state for National Guard support.
Trump also claimed that “the police chief said so much” and quoted him as saying, “We’re very lucky to have had them.” But McDonnell says that’s simply not true. There was no request, and no such statement was made.
Watch the clip below via CNN.
BREAKING: Kaitlyn Collin’s reports that
LAPD Chief Jim MCDonnell said the LAPD is “nowhere near a level where we would be reaching out to the governor for the National Guard.”
This comes after Trump claimed the LAPD was overwhelmed. Trump lied again!pic.twitter.com/d1X0XJcm3M
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) June 12, 2025
