Karen Bass finally does her job — but only after Trump vows to 'liberate' Los Angeles

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) issued a curfew Tuesday evening for her city's downtown, telling interlopers to avoid the area and warning would-be violators that police would arrest them. Exceptions were made in certain cases, such as for emergency and medical personnel and for credentialed media.

The Los Angeles Police Department indicated shortly after the curfew went into effect that "mass arrests are being initiated."

'They'd better do something before it's too late.'

Whereas LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said the "curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city," Bass initially adopted a different framing, making sure to continue blaming President Donald Trump for the rioting.

The Democrat stated on X that she imposed the curfew "to stop bad actors who are taking advantage of the President's chaotic escalation."

This claim prickled White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who noted in response, "'Chaotic escalation' = federal authorities arresting illegal aliens. The Mayor is using the rhetoric of the insurrectionist mob."

Bass had multiple opportunities prior to reaching her "tipping point" to clamp down on "bad actors," yet delayed, instead spending her energies attacking federal authorities and blaming Trump for the unrest.

When, for example, radicals began savagely attacking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who were conducting lawful operations in Los Angeles County last week, Bass accused ICE agents of sowing "terror" and stressed that the city would "not stand for this."

RELATED: Order mostly restored in Los Angeles after days of riots, but the damage is done

Julio Rosas/Blaze Media

Bass' announcement of the curfew came just as riots were cooling down, within hours of Trump hinting he might have to restore order for her, and following the publication of a new poll revealing significant public support for local authorities taking action with regards to the riots.

In his Tuesday speech at the 250th anniversary of the Army at Fort Bragg, Trump said, "Within the span of a few decades, Los Angeles has gone from being one of the cleanest, safest, and most beautiful cities on Earth to being a trash heap with entire neighborhoods under the control of transnational gangs and criminal networks."

"They don't like it when I say it, but I'll say it loudly and clearly: They'd better do something before it's too late," continued Trump. "Very simply, we will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean, and safe again."

"We will use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order right away," stressed the president.

It's presently unclear whether Trump said so directly to Bass.

Blaze News asked the White House for comment and about whether Trump recently spoke to Bass but did not immediately receive a response.

While Bass has made known her fury regarding Trump's recent efforts to restore order and protect federal personnel, recent polling is clear: A plurality of Americans disapprove of the anti-ICE "protests" and want to see action taken locally.RELATED: Lies, flags, and firebombs: Just another ‘mostly peaceful’ riot in LA

Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images

YouGov polled 4,231 U.S. adults on Monday and found that 45% of Americans disapprove of the anti-ICE "protests" in Los Angeles; 36% said they approve; and 19% said they were unsure. When broken down by region, 40% of respondents in the Western U.S. signaled disapproval.

When asked who should be taking the lead in dealing with the L.A. "protests," 56% of respondents said state and local authorities.

Regardless of whether Bass wants to curb anti-ICE fervor, imposing a curfew appears to have been a politically pragmatic move on her part. After all, she cannot afford to lose any more support or confidence.

A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll revealed last month that the majority of Angelenos view Bass negatively.

Her bungling of the Palisades Fire in January certainly did not help her cause.

Months after slashing her city's fire department budget and shortly after the National Weather Service warned of an imminent windstorm, Bass broke a pledge in January not to "travel internationally" and absconded to Africa. While deadly fires consumed her city, Bass attended a cocktail party in Ghana. Upon her return, she did her apparent best to displace blame.

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