The current president sent the National Guard to occupy the city of Los Angeles.
Posted by Real Time with Bill Maher, Checked
- Sources
- 8 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
Real Time with Bill MaherOct 24, 2026
Multiple tier1 and tier2 sources confirm that Trump, who the 2026 sources identify as the sitting president, ordered National Guard troops into Los Angeles in June 2025 over the objections of state and local leaders.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… I would stand up against a president of any party if they were doing something that would harm the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As Attorney General, I sued the Obama administration for certain regulations that hurt us, but right now we've got a president that sent National Guard to occupy this city. He's not going to be popular in California, and if you're going to be the governor of California, you've got to stand up for its people, even against a president of your own party. …
Real Time with Bill Maher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Sources report that Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June 2025 over the objections of Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom, and that the deployment was used to guard federal buildings during immigration protests.[1][4][7]
Supports. A 9th Circuit panel ruled on October 23, 2026 that Trump's deployment of about 4,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles was unlawful, confirming the deployment itself occurred.[5][6][8]
Supports. Fact-checkers note that Newsom and the White House both referred to the deployment, and the phrase 'occupy' is used by American Oversight and quoted by Newsom, so the characterization is in common use even though it is rhetorical.[2][3][7]
Context. The AP reported in December 2025 that Trump was dropping the push for Guard deployments to Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, and the troops had already left Los Angeles, so the 'current' state of the occupation had ended before the post date.[1][7]
Sources
8 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 2 tier 2, 1 tier 1, 2 not rated
- 1Trump says he's dropping push for National Guard in Chicago, LA and Portland, Oregon, for nowapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2What Trump said about Iran taking out Los Angeles, San Diegopolitifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3The Context for Trump's 'Take Out' Los Angeles, San Diego ...factcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 4The Military Occupied LA for 40 Days and All They Did Was ...theintercept.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Appeals court rules Trump unlawfully deployed National ...thehill.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 6Court Says Trump Violated Law in Los Angeles National Guard Deploymentnytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 7Trump's Use of the National Guard in American Citiesamericanoversight.org · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 8Appeals court, including Trump appointed judge, sides against him in takeover of California National Guardsfchronicle.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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