Leavitt Torches Kaitlan Collins Over Trump’s Portland Plan: ‘Go See It For Yourself’

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt engaged in a tense exchange with CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins over President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, where federal officers have faced repeated attacks during violent clashes with Antifa demonstrators.

Collins questioned the necessity of the deployment, citing comments from Portland’s police chief who claimed Trump’s statements “don’t match up with what’s happening on the ground.”

Leavitt countered sharply, suggesting Collins relied on partisan sources and hadn’t investigated firsthand.

“I would encourage you, as a reporter, to go on the ground and take a look for yourself. Independent journalists have witnessed the anarchy that is taking place night after night. It’s on video!”

She accused local officials of failing to control the unrest and warned that rioters “are not there to peacefully protest; they are there to cause mayhem and havoc.” Leavitt emphasized that Trump’s actions aimed to restore safety for residents and law enforcement officers, particularly federal personnel like ICE agents, who have been repeatedly attacked.

The comments came as a federal judge blocked the deployment, issuing an emergency temporary restraining order late Sunday. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, ruled that sending California National Guard troops into Oregon violated federal statute 10 U.S.C. §12406 and the Tenth Amendment, which reserves certain powers to the states.

Immergut wrote that Oregon and Portland “are likely to succeed on their claim that the President exceeded his constitutional authority and violated the Tenth Amendment,” and warned that accepting the administration’s arguments “risks blurring the line between civil and military federal power.”

Critics of the ruling pointed out that Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution names the president as Commander-in-Chief, including oversight of the militia “when called into the actual service of the United States.” They argued the judge’s decision overlooked the legal constraints placed on local law enforcement, which has been largely prohibited from assisting federal officers, leaving federal personnel exposed to repeated attacks.

Leavitt’s remarks highlighted the administration’s position that federal intervention is necessary to protect both officers and citizens from escalating violence and to enforce federal law where local authorities have failed.