Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania ripped into his own party on Monday over anti-immigration enforcement riots in the Los Angeles area.
“I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration — but this is not that. This is anarchy and true chaos,” Fetterman posted on social media. “My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement.”
I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration—but this is not that.
This is anarchy and true chaos.
My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/pPYbvP6xR0
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) June 10, 2025
The Pennsylvania senator’s condemnation of his own party comes as Democrats in Washington and California attack President Donald Trump and his administration for ordering National Guard troops and Marines to L.A. County.
Starting Friday, riots that began as anti-immigration enforcement protests have rocked pockets of L.A. Rioters in face masks and waving foreign flags have set fire to cars, thrown bricks at police and federal officers, confronted authorities, defaced property, blocked traffic, and promoted civil unrest.
Over the course of the riots, notable Democrats have focused more ire against the Trump administration’s decision to send in troops to quell the unrest than condemn rioting among anti-law enforcement demonstrators, accusing federal authorities of escalating the situation.
“Deploying the National Guard is a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos. In addition to the recent ICE raids in Southern California and across our nation, it is part of the Trump Administration’s cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division,” former Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement that went on to call the demonstrations “overwhelmingly peaceful.”
On Monday, California sued the Trump administration for ordering the National Guard into the Los Angeles area. California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said that the president violated the Constitution and undermined the state’s autonomy with the order. Newsom and other Democrats have also claimed that additional law enforcement sent to Los Angeles has only exacerbated the protests rather than tamp them down.
Newsom and Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass have condemned violence during the protests. The two elected Democrats have faced fire from Trump and other Republicans for failing to quell the unrest in the first place, however.
“We made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California. If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated,” said Trump in a Monday post to Truth Social.
“The very incompetent ‘Governor,’ Gavin Newscum, and ‘Mayor,’ Karen Bass, should be saying, ‘THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP, YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL. WE WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT YOU, SIR,’” he continued. “Instead, they choose to lie to the People of California and America by saying that we weren’t needed, and that these are ‘peaceful protests.’ Just one look at the pictures and videos of the Violence and Destruction tells you all you have to know.”