Trump Pressures Portland Amid National Guard Standoff

The White House is continuing to pressure Portland, surging federal law enforcement and floating plans to go after the city’s pocketbook on Friday as protests continue over President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard.

The administration will review cutting federal funding to Portland, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing, citing what she said was elected officials' refusal to work with the White House to crack down on street crime and immigration enforcement.

“We will not fund states that allow anarchy,” said Leavitt.

The president surprised city officials — and many in the Pentagon — by writing last Saturday on Truth Social that he was directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to send troops “to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.” He said he authorized “the use of full force” for “all necessary troops” in doing so, an extraordinary declaration for an American city.

The next day, both Portland and Oregon sued to block Trump from federalizing the state’s National Guard, calling the measures “provocative and arbitrary” and arguing that they threatened to incite public backlash. A hearing for that case was scheduled for Friday.

The city’s mayor, Keith Wilson, and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek have both argued that Portland does not need federal assistance to fight crime and that Trump’s actions are based on outdated assessments of its public safety and an abuse of presidential power.

“We think it's despicable that these local elected officials who swear an oath to protect their people are preventing law enforcement from doing their jobs on the ground,” said Leavitt. “So that's why the president has directed his team here at the White House, and they are already on it, to look at how we can cut funds.”

The White House Office of Management and Budget did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what specific cuts are on the table for Portland.

Also on Friday, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin announced the agency would surge Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement resources into the city, after conservative media influencer Nick Sortor was arrested by Portland police officers during a Thursday night protest.

“This violence will end under @POTUS Trump,” she wrote alongside a video of Sortor's arrest.

At the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi, federal officials are also investigating the arrest, senior Department of Justice official Harmeet Dhillon wrote on X Friday.

Kotek’s office and the Portland Police Bureau both declined to comment. Wilson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Natalie Fertig contributed to this report.