Trump Says Protesters Would ‘Rip Los Angeles Apart’ Without National Guard There to Stop Them

President Donald Trump on Sunday said that without the intervention of the National Guard, the protesters against ICE would “tear the city apart.”

Trump spoke briefly with reporters as he was departing the White House for the G7 Summit taking place in Canada this week. He responded to several questions, including about Iran, Israel, and the military parade that took place on Saturday honoring the 250th birthday of the United States Army.

He was also asked about his sending the National Guard to Los Angeles amid the protests against ICE, from which many scenes of destruction and confrontations with police have gone viral on social media if not the press. Trump’s move in sending in the Guard without a request from, or the approval of, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, has been met with outrage and legal pushback.

When asked about the protests as he was departing on Sunday, Trump said that without the National Guard there the consequences would be extreme.

“So the protesters, if we didn’t have the National Guard on call and ready, they would rip Los Angeles apart,” he said. “They come and they check and they say, is the National guard going to be there? And if the National Guard’s gonna be there, they don’t even show up.”

Dozens of major, peaceful demonstrations across the country took place on Saturday as part of the “No Kings” protests, with almost no incidents of violence or confrontations with police.

There were, however, some incidents, including in Los Angeles, where at least 38 people were reportedly arrested after a confrontation in which protesters refused to disperse, throwing objects including rocks and bricks at police officers. The police used tear gas and other methods to disperse the crowds in such cases.

Police officials reported that three officers were injured in the violence.

Watch the clip above via CNN.