Trump likens Portland to 'insurrection,' but says Insurrection Act not yet necessary

President Trump on Monday likened the situation in Portland, Ore., to an "insurrection," but he said he did not yet see a need to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow him to deploy the military amid legal hurdles.

"Portland is on fire. Portland’s been on fire for years. And — not so much saving it. We have to save something else. Because I think that’s all insurrection. I really think that’s really criminal insurrection," Trump said as his administration has clashed with local officials and the courts over deploying the National Guard in Portland.

Asked under what conditions he would invoke the Insurrection Act, Trump said he would do it "if it was necessary."

"So far it hasn’t been necessary. But we have an Insurrection Act for a reason," Trump said. "If I had to enact it, I'd do that. If people were being killed, and courts were holding us up or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure, I'd do that. I mean, I want to make sure people aren’t killed."

Portland has been the focus of intensifying criticism from the Trump administration amid ongoing protests over immigration enforcement in the city.

There have been protests in Portland dating to June in response to the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation efforts. The FBI field office in Portland said last Thursday it had made 128 arrests in the city since June 9.

A federal judge in a ruling late Sunday temporarily blocked the administration from sending National Guard troops to Oregon.

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, previously granted Oregon officials their request for a restraining order against Trump ordering Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deploy Oregon National Guard troops to Portland. 

In response to Immergut’s initial ruling, Trump sought to deploy California National Guard troops to Portland, a move met with swift backlash from California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

Invoking the Insurrection Act could give Trump a way around the courts, but it would be likely to prompt widespread backlash amid concerns about the deployment of the military in American cities.

At the same time, Illinois and Chicago earlier Monday sued to block Trump’s deployment of National Guard members to the city after the administration moved to send in hundreds of troops.