Trump seemed to cool on Portland military plan before moving forward

Trump seemed to cool on Portland military plan before moving forward

President Trump had said he will send troops to Portland to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which he said were “under attack.”

PORTLAND, Ore. — Hours before the Trump administration federalized 200 Oregon National Guard members, President Donald Trump during a Sunday morning interview with NBC appeared to be cooling on his plans to send troops to Portland to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities.

When asked whether he was still sending troops to Portland, which he described as “War ravaged” in a social media post Saturday, Trump said his administration would make a decision on that “pretty soon.”

“Well, I mean, we’re certainly looking at it,” Trump said. “You can’t have that. We don’t want that. They’re attacking our ICE facility and they’re attacking other federal buildings.”

Later Sunday, the Trump administration did make the decision to deploy troops to the state, federalizing 200 Oregon National Guard members, effective immediately, for 60 days. The state of Oregon and the city of Portland filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration in response.

RELATED: Oregon sues Trump administration over federalization of 200 Oregon National Guard members: ‘It is unlawful’

During a Sunday morning phone interview with NBC White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, though, Trump made some remarks that seemed to indicate he might be backing off his military plan for Portland.

Trump referenced a weekend conversation with Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, and he alluded to being told by Kotek that the reality in Portland is different from what’s being portrayed to him.

“I spoke to the governor, she was very nice,” Trump said. “But I said, ‘Well wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from what’s happening? My people tell me different.’ They are literally attacking and there are fires all over the place…it looks like terrible.”

RELATED: During call with President Trump, Oregon governor said Portland does not need federal troops

Kotek said she told Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday morning that troops are not needed, and she believes Trump does not have the authority to deploy the military to Portland.

“We can manage our own local public safety needs,” Kotek said. “There is no insurrection, there is no threat to national security.”

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said the ‘necessary’ number of troops needed that Trump referred to in his social media post is “zero.”

“This is an American city, we do not need any intervention,” Wilson said at a Saturday news conference. “This is not a military target.”

Still, in his interview Sunday with NBC, Trump referred to his yearslong perception of Portland as justification for his recent statements.

“They are attacking our ICE and federal buildings all the time,” Trump said. “You know, this has been going on for a long time. This has been going on for years in Portland. It’s like a hotbed of insurrection.”

On Saturday, a spokesperson for the Oregon National Guard, Lt. Col. Stephen Bomar, said in an email to the Associated Press that “no official requests have been received at this time” for Guard support. “Any requests would need to be coordinated through the Governor’s office,” he added.

A Pentagon spokesperson told the AP on Saturday that the Department of Defense would provide information and updates when available. On Sunday, it was the Department of Defense that sent the memo to Kotek informing her of the deployment of Oregon National Guard members.

Since June 2025, more than two dozen people have been arrested in connection with protests outside Portland’s ICE building on the south waterfront.

Most of the arrests occurred in the first month. The protests have generally decreased in size over time with reduced levels of confrontation, and law enforcement has maintained a watchful security presence at the building.

RELATED: Little change at Portland ICE facility Saturday night despite Trump troop order

Of the criminal cases, most are still ongoing. Three individuals pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of ‘failure to obey a lawful order’ and received 6 months of probation and fines. Another case was dismissed by federal prosecutors.

Others facing more serious charges, including felony offenses for assaulting federal officers, are set for trial later this year or in early 2026. Most of the arrests have led to misdemeanor charges, per a KGW analysis of court records.

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