Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek on President Trump’s attempts to deploy National Guard to Portland

This weekend, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from mobilizing the Oregon National Guard to Portland and then issued a second restraining order when the president tried to summon troops from Texas and California to Oregon. The administration has since appealed the decision.

Throughout the back-and-forth, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has denounced the president’s actions and his characterization of Portland as “war-ravaged.” She joins us with more details on her response to the attempted deployment and the state’s efforts to block it.

Note: The following transcript was transcribed digitally and validated for accuracy, readability and formatting by an OPB volunteer.

Dave Miller: From the Gert Boyle Studio at OPB, this is Think Out Loud. I’m Dave Miller. This weekend, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from mobilizing the Oregon National Guard to Portland. She then issued a second restraining order the next day, when the president tried to summon troops to Oregon from California and Texas. The administration has since appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Throughout this back and forth, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has denounced the president’s actions and his characterization of Portland as “war-ravaged.” She joins us now. Governor Kotek, welcome back to the show.

Governor Tina Kotek: Thank you, Dave.

Miller: It’s great to have you on. Am I right that you just met with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem?

Kotek: I did. When I learned that Secretary Noem was coming to Portland, I made sure I’d have the opportunity to meet with her face to face, talk about the situation on the ground in Portland and express my concerns. I want to make sure that Oregonians are safe to lawfully protest. And we had a good conversation.

Miller: “Good conversation.” I never know what to make of it when elected officials say that. What did the two of you actually talk about? And after you said all that, what did she say?

Kotek: Well, I’m going to laugh because I think the president has said I’m very nice. But I’m not a pushover. So we had a really direct conversation. It was cordial. She’s here to assess what’s happening here in Portland at the ICE facility. So we talked about it and said, here’s what’s happening. She’s going to be meeting with local law enforcement later today, hearing from them about the efforts they have made to maintain calm and the ability of folks to be there lawfully to protest and express their views.

I specifically asked that they follow state law regarding the use of tear gas. If you recall, back in 2020 when I was Speaker [of the House], there was a slate of bills that were passed to improve how local law enforcement works, as it relates to crowd control and large demonstrations or small demonstrations. We have laws about how things like tear gas can be used. The federal agents there have been using tear gas. They’re in the area where there are homes. There’s a residential area near the ICE facility. So I said, hey, can you stop doing that? That is not great for the folks who live there.

We talked about some of the concerns about the safety of the ICE officers. And I said, “Look, we want to keep people safe, and I know that is a shared concern with local police. People need to be able to demonstrate and I think we are managing the situation.” And I think she’s going to see that when she visits the facility.

Miller: Are California National Guard troops still in Oregon?

Kotek: Yes. One of the things I’d like to share is that I have now made a second request today to Northern Command who, technically, is in charge of the deployed troops in Oregon. And I’ve made a specific ask. Now, with the second ruling from the federal court that this is an unlawful militarization of our troops here, both the Oregon National Guard and the California National Guard, they should go home, they should be sent home. So I’m looking for a response there. We are waiting.

With the Ninth Circuit appeal now underway, we hear there will be a hearing on Thursday of this week at the Ninth Circuit, so we’re a little bit in limbo. But I think the local court has been clear that this is an unlawful [inaudible] and that people [inaudible] …

Miller: Governor Kotek, I don’t know if you’re moving, but your connection is getting a little bit iffy there. So can you go back to where you were at the beginning? If not, we’re just gonna hope that it holds for the next seven minutes.

I’m actually a little confused by the fact that California National Guard troops are still here, because in the broader order that Judge Immergut put out on Sunday night, she prohibited “the relocation, federalization or deployment of any National Guard under defendants,” meaning the federal government’s command, “within the state of Oregon.”

So there’s two bits there. We’ve been focusing so much recently on the deployment of a federalized National Guard. But the judge also said that the federalization itself should stop and is prohibited. So do you still not have control of those members of the Oregon National Guard?

Kotek: [It] has created uncertainty. But I think the local court ruling is clear. And that is why I have sent another request to Northern Command, this time being a lot more direct, that Oregon National Guard troops should go home, as well as the California National Guard troops should go back to California.

Miller: In its brief to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Trump administration said that Judge Immergut “impermissibly second guessed the commander in chief’s military judgments.” There are plenty of Oregonians who are supporting what the president is trying to do. What would be your response directly to them, to Oregonians, about why you think this is wrong?

Kotek: I think it’s incredibly dangerous to take our citizen soldiers and to deploy them in our streets, without a real reason. The facts on the ground, and this is what the judge said, “do not warrant.” There’s not an insurrection. This is not a rebellion. This is not a national security threat. And I think it’s really important – and this is not just true for Oregon but for any state in our country – to think about what it means to put American troops into our cities. Local law enforcement has a responsibility for community safety and public safety. That is their job.

That is not the role of the National Guard. Remember, these are our neighbors who sign up to defend the Constitution and to protect our country. And they are there when there is a disaster or some other reason. And many have just come back from deployment overseas. They have jobs. They have families. This is not a factual need on the ground in Oregon, to deploy any of the military in the National Guard, whether from California, Texas or Oregon. This is a fundamental issue for our democracy, about what the control and authority of the president is, and what the court says it is. The rule of law has to hold.

Miller: I want to play a short excerpt of what you told Oregonians when the federal deployment was first announced a week-and-a-half ago. This is part of what you said.

Kotek [recording]: And I have a message for Oregonians. Let’s not take the bait. Let’s not respond to what the president is trying to do. We have to raise our voices, absolutely, peacefully to the things that we believe in. But I also want to say that any property damage or violence of any kind will get us nowhere and will not be tolerated.

Miller: I wanted to revisit that because as you’re probably aware, on Saturday, The Oregonian reported on an 84-year-old couple named Laurie and Richard Eckman who were injured at the rally on Saturday.

Laurie Eckman described federal actions this way to The Oregonian: “It was totally unprovoked. It was not the kind of crowd shouts the F-word. It was people like us, our neighbors. There were families, there were several veterans. With no warning, the feds charged into us, knocked us down and sprayed us. I was hit in the head with a projectile.”

Again, that’s an 84-year-old woman who was there on Saturday. I should note that OPB talked to a witness who corroborated their story. This couple was doing exactly what you asked Oregonians who wanted to protest to do. So if “don’t take the bait” is not enough, what other advice do you have for Oregonians?

Kotek: Well, I will say I did read that article and it’s completely unacceptable. And one of the reasons I wanted to meet with Secretary Noem today was to speak about the aggressive tactics that the federal agents who are protecting the building are engaged in. It’s unacceptable. It’s against state law and they need to stop that.

Miller: You have a lot of responsibilities as governor. I think it’s fair to say that if you boil everything down, the most fundamental one is to keep Oregonians safe, as the chief executive for the state. Can you do that right now?

Kotek: Well, it is my responsibility and I can’t control everything. But what I can say is I’m doing everything I can to be direct with the Trump administration about their behavior. And we have been working in close contact with Portland Police. The Oregon State Police are part of the conversations about how we keep people safe, who want to protest.

This is a very unusual situation. I don’t think we’ve seen this any time in our nation’s history, where federal agents, disregarding local law, are attacking people on the streets who are lawfully protesting, in this situation. Maybe I don’t know all my history of protests, but here in Portland now, we have had hundreds of thousands of Oregonians go to the streets lawfully protesting their right to free speech and their concerns about the Trump administration.

What we’re seeing from the Trump administration is an abuse of power in how they are dealing with lawful protests outside their facilities. Local law enforcement will work with them to try to manage the situation, but they need to follow the state law and treat people respectfully and not violently.

Miller: Governor Kotek, thanks very much.

Kotek: Thank you.

Miller: That is Tina Kotek, the governor of Oregon.

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