Defense secretary slams Democrats who say Marines and National Guard are ill-equipped to respond to riots in Los Angeles

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sharply criticized Democrats who accused the Marines and the National Guard of being ill-equipped to respond to the riots in Los Angeles .

The secretary of defense said the Marines have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers.

Rep. Betty McCollum , D- Minn. , said that during the George Floyd riots of 2020 in Minneapolis , she didn’t think it was necessary for Marines to be deployed.

Trump has warned Newsom that he’s “not playing around” about the violence in LA .

The president said without the help of the National Guard , the city would be burning.

“ A day ago , I called him up to tell him [he's] got to do a better job,” Trump said.