Donald Trump announced Saturday, Sept. 27, about his plans to send military to Portland, the most populous city in the state of Oregon. But the senators are not taking any of his tyrannic orders this time.
Calling Portland war-ravaged and “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” Trump announced on his Truth Social account on Saturday that he will soon deploy military in the region to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. The announcement immediately sent Portland natives into shock and fear, prompting the Governor and Oregon Senators to intervene.
Trump’s assertion that he will “authorizing Full Force, if necessary,” even though there was no sign of any federal presence earlier during the day caused further ruckus. The Democratic Governor of Oregon, Tina Kotek, immediately responded by accusing Trump of abusing his authority and asserting that the city is doing “just fine” on its own.
“We can manage our own local public safety needs. There is no insurrection. There is no threat to national security,” she said during a press conference.
Joining the ranks of the Governor, Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have also released statements regarding the matter. Accusing Trump of provoking conflict in his “vibrant and peaceful” hometown, Wyden urged Oregonians to “reject Trump’s attempt to incite violence.” He called the forceful deployment of troops an “authoritarian takeover” and assured that he will do everything in his power to protect his people.
In a similar sentiment, Merkley made it loud and clear to Oregonians to “not take the bait” by Trump to “trigger violent interactions and riots” in the city. He asserted that “Portland is peaceful and strong” and sent a clear message to Trump that the state officials and citizens can take care of each other.
“Trump is sending troops to Portland with the goal of ‘doing a number’ on the city. We know what this means. He wants to stoke fear and chaos and trigger violent interactions and riots to justify expanded authoritarian control. Let’s not take the bait!”
While it’s true that Trump’s national immigration crackdown has caused protests in the recent months at Portland’s ICE facilities, no severe violence has been reported that justifies military deployment in the whole city. In reality, Portland is simply the latest pawn in Trump’s authoritarian expansion game, following his earlier deployments to Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. What he’s selling as protection is in fact political intimidation, and Oregon’s leaders are making it clear they won’t be bullied into playing along.
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