President Trump says Portland is ‘almost an insurrection’

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – President Donald Trump said Portland is “almost an insurrection” during a Friday press conference.

The comments come four days after threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act in Portland.

“Every time I look at that place, the place is burning down. There’s fires all over the place,” Trump said. “And then I hear how wonderful it is. It’s not wonderful. It’s a disaster. That’s almost an insurrection, that place.”

He also said businesses in the area are suffering, claiming that “when a store owner rebuilds a store, they build it out of plywood. They don’t put up storefronts anymore. They just put wood up, because they know it’s going to be ripped down.”

But according to Portland Fire and Rescue, there have been exactly four fire reports in the area of the South Portland ICE facility since June 6. No other protest-related fires have been reported.

“We have had four registered reports of “fire” associated with the address of the Federal ICE building of which two were reports of demonstrators burning flags, a smoke grenade device that landed under a vehicle where the caller believed it was a vehicle fire, and the fourth was as a result of someone calling 911 after viewing a TikTok video and believing there was a significant fire at the address but thus turned out to be inaccurate per the call notes if the incident.”

PF&R said that “none of these required a response to extinguish any flames.”

As of Friday afternoon, the Trump administration is facing of Oregon in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to bring the National Guard into Portland.

On Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told the president she is considering buying up property in the city to “double down” if city leaders do not meet their demands for law enforcement and security. The pair have accused local leaders of cooperating with Antifa, a decentralized group of people whose political beliefs align with “anti-fascism.”

“What they’re trying to do with these riots and violence is distract us and keep us from going after those murderers and rapists that are out in the streets,” she said.

Noem visited Portland to tour the ICE facility earlier this week. While in town, she met with local leaders, including Gov. Tina Kotek, who insisted that there is no insurrection in Oregon.

But according to Mayor Keith Wilson, the Trump Administration is trying to inflame a narrative.

“I reject that we’re covering up for a made-up, disparate group that has no real central organization or anything like that,” Wilson said. “We all know it’s made-up stories to try and create an isolated opportunity for the federal government to come in, when it’s just not needed.”

Portland Police Chief Bob Day has also reported a decreased crime rate in the city, adding that “there’s no cover-up or collaboration” with protesters. 

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.