President Donald Trump is hoping to turn a crisis into an opportunity by using the Los Angeles protests to persuade on-the-fence GOP lawmakers to back his spending bill.
White House officials and Trump allies believe the optics of the protests could ultimately benefit the president as he seeks funding for the hardline immigration proposals outlined in his “Big, Beautiful Bill,” including expanded deportations of migrants.
“We see the riots in L.A. as laden with political opportunity—a fight between what Republicans say they want vs. the radical left and protesters waving the Mexican flag in front of burning cars—and the Democrats supporting them,” a senior White House adviser told Axios.
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Trump’s megabill barely scraped through the House in a 215–214 vote in May, with negotiations now underway before it heads to the Senate floor.
A number of GOP lawmakers have expressed concerns about the legislation, including proposed cuts to Medicaid and the potential impact on the deficit, raising speculation over whether the bill could be tanked in the upper chamber.
Some Republicans now believe the wave of protests and unrest against federal immigration raids across L.A.—which has included demonstrators throwing rocks at law enforcement—could help sway potential GOP holdouts to support Trump’s bill.
“It’s the best BBB marketing ever. It has brought the critical need for increased border funding and immigration enforcement to the forefront,” Andrew Kolvet, spokesman for Turning Point USA, told Axios. “Everyone we’re talking to in the Senate says this put it over the top.”
A similar sentiment was echoed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who posted Monday on X that the “lawlessness happening in LA is ANOTHER reason why we need to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill IMMEDIATELY.”
“The violent riots in Los Angeles, enabled by weak Democrat leaders like Gavin Newsom, underscore the importance of passing President Trump’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill and providing ICE agents with the resources needed to fund at least 1 million removals, 10,000 new ICE personnel, 3,000 new Border Patrol agents, and massively expand ICE detention capacity,” White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson told the Daily Beast.
Republicans appear less concerned with other optics surrounding the protests, including whether Trump overstepped his authority by deploying National Guard troops to L.A. without prior approval from California, as well as sending in about 700 U.S. Marines to help quell the disorder.
Trump also agreed it would be a “great thing” if his border czar, Tom Homan, authorized the arrest of California Gov. Gavin Newsom amid the partisan tensions surrounding the protests.
“I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican—this is a line we cannot cross as a nation. This is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism,” Newsom posted while sharing a clip of Trump’s remarks.
GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, who voted against Trump’s megabill in May, said the L.A. protests will not sway his vote when the bill returns to the House for final approval.
“The ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ actually rewards Gov. Newsom’s failed policies with a $100 billion gift to California in the form of increased SALT deductions,” Massie told Axios.
