In a recent appearance on Fox News, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis disclosed that his state extended an offer of assistance to California Governor Gavin Newsom amidst the turmoil in Los Angeles.
However, this gesture was reportedly declined by the California administration. The unrest, which erupted on Friday night, saw nearly 1,000 rioters causing significant disruption, including attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and damage to federal property, as reported by the Department of Homeland Security.
According to the Daily Caller, Governor DeSantis explained on "Jesse Watters Primetime" that Florida's offer of support was in line with the mutual aid typically extended during natural disasters such as hurricanes. "We offer help, and we get help when we have hurricanes and things like that. Their response, though, was that somehow us offering help was gonna quote, inflame the situation, DeSantis remarked.
He defended Florida's initiative, emphasizing the need for law and order in the face of chaos. DeSantis criticized the lack of backing for the Los Angeles Police Department, asserting, "Whats inflaming the situation are the illegals that are burning cars and looting stores and are out there blocking traffic. Thats whats inflaming the situation. The way to put the fire out is to make sure you have law and order."
In response to the escalating violence, President Donald Trump deployed over 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to reestablish order. Despite this federal intervention, Governor Newsom opted to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration, rather than acknowledging the assistance provided.
DeSantis also took aim at California Democratic Representative Maxine Waters, who controversially claimed to have witnessed no violence during the riots. Drawing parallels to past events, DeSantis stated, You remember during the BLM riots, youd have the CNN reporter staged in front of a building that would be on fire and would say Oh, this is mostly peaceful protests? And so this is what they do. Its gaslighting 101.
Governor DeSantis expressed his belief that Democrats are aware that such "gaslighting" tactics are politically detrimental. "As you pointed out, nobodys rallying to the side of the people that are rioting," he noted. "People want order, and they want the laws enforced. And I would say President Trumps immigration policies, hes probably the most popular president on immigration in my lifetime."
Despite the widespread chaos, Representative Waters maintained during a House Democratic press conference that the riots were peaceful, even as rioters engaged in looting, arson, and the use of Molotov cocktails and fireworks. Her remarks stand in stark contrast to the visible destruction and disorder that unfolded on the streets of Los Angeles.
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