UPDATED, with Vance arrival: Vice President JD Vance arrived in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon for a tour of a command center, amid strident opposition from local elected officials and protests over the Trump administration’s ICE raids.
According to the VP’s team, Vance will be get briefings from the Department of Defense, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the LAPD and California Highway Patrol.
Earlier, Vance’s office said that he would “will tour a multi-agency Federal Joint Operations Center, a Federal Mobile Command Center, meet with leadership and Marines and deliver brief remarks,” per his office. Fox News Digital first reported on his travel plans.
Vance also is visiting following the Ninth Circuit’s decision on Thursday that allows Donald Trump to continue to have control over the National Guard as the state’s legal challenge continues. In a per curiam opinion, a three-judge panel concluded that Trump “lawfully exercised his statutory authority,” rejecting the state’s motion to allow a lower court order to proceed.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the court ruling “disappointing” but said that the case was “far from over.” “While the court did not provide immediate relief for Angelenos today, we remain confident in our arguments and will continue the fight,” he said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the Trump administration after the president federalized the National Guard, and later deployed 700 Marines to the region. Newsom said that he was not consulted and that the dispatching of federal troops has only inflamed tensions in Los Angeles. He has warned that the administration’s actions are merely a prelude to what will happen in other cities.
In a video posted on X, Newsom urged Vance to meet with those who lost their homes in the devastating wildfires in January, when parts of Pacific Palisades and Altadena were wiped out. “It’s also important as well, and I honestly mean this, that you sit down with the president of the United States, who just a couple of days ago suggested that these American citizens may not get the support that other citizens get all across this country in terms of disaster relief. I hope we get that back on track.” Republicans have suggested that conditions should be placed on disaster aid to the state, while on Wednesday Trump suggested that his dustups with Newsom could impact California’s $40 billion request.
