17 arrested as Trump rally protest turns violent in California
On Thursday, Donald Trump made his first campaign visit to California since February, as the GOP presidential candidates start focusing on the pivotal June 7 California primary. Trump held a big, racuous rally at the Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa, and hundreds of demonstrators were waiting to protest Trump's immigration policies and campaign rhetoric. Ten men and seven women were arrested for alleged unlawful assembly after the rally as the protest turned violent. Police were out in force, and protesters smashed the window of a police cruiser, punctured the tires of a police SUV, and even tried to flip over a police car. The mayhem was over by 10:15 p.m., Orange County sheriff department Lt. Mark Stichter told the Los Angeles Times, and no major injuries were reported.
The protests were peaceful but larger than expected before the rally, but when Trump supporters couldn't get in to hear the candidate, the confrontation between Trump backers and critics started growing tense. Police helicopters hovered overhead and law enforcement in riot gear and on horseback stepped in to clear the streets of Trump protesters, some of whom carried Mexican flags. "We could be peaceful and do things different," Arianna Perez, 19, told the L.A. Times, "but if we did, we wouldn't get our voice heard." You can watch an Associated Press report below. Peter Weber
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
‘Care fractures after birth’instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Shots fired in the US-EU war over digital censorshipIN THE SPOTLIGHT The Trump administration risks opening a dangerous new front in the battle of real-world consequences for online action
-
What will the US economy look like in 2026?Today’s Big Question Wall Street is bullish, but uncertain
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
