On September 27, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that he was “directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland” and was “also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.” 

Trump has additionally sent troops or surged Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents — or threatened to do so — into several other cities led by Democratic mayors, including Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Memphis, Chicago, Baltimore, and New York City, much to the delight of right-wing media. The deployment to Portland appears to be a fulfillment of a threat Trump made on September 5, during remarks where he said television coverage of the city brought it to his attention.

Conservative pundits have long fueled narratives around crime and disorder in Portland, especially during the George Floyd uprisings in the summer of 2020. One of the many right-wing media voices who called for Trump to use troops and federal forces on protesters in Portland that summer is now-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was a Fox & Friends Weekend co-host at the time.

The latest push by right-wing media to portray Portland as a city in “constant chaos” appears to have begun on September 2, when Fox News picked up video coverage of an anti-ICE protest captured by a reporter from the conservative website The Post Millennial.  

That morning, Fox News host Lawrence Jones interviewed ICE deputy director Madison Sheahan over the Post Millennial reporter’s footage. 

“So what's the latest on the threat level against your offices? We saw overnight a clash with the protesters in Portland,” Jones asked. “They were attacking your officers, what are you guys doing on the ground to make sure they have the support that they need.”

Over the next several days, Fox doubled down on the narrative that Portland was out of control.

• Fox News anchor Trace Gallagher suggested activists outside of an ICE facility in Portland “deserve a little time to think about this somewhere safe and locked up.” Gallagher's guest Mark Lamb responded, “They should be locked up.” [Fox News, Fox News @ Night, 9/2/25]
• On Fox News, Dan Springer described Portland residents as “under siege” and called the neighborhood the ICE facility is located in a “battle zone.” Springer reported, “Hundreds of residents in Portland are feeling like they’re under siege. Their neighborhood turned into a battle zone nightly — all because they happen to live next to an ICE facility.” [Fox News, America's Newsroom, 9/4/25]
• Fox prime-time host Jesse Watters suggested the National Guard should be sent into Portland. He stated, “I've never seen a city like this. … Is this in America?” He added, “I would send them to Portland, but I would send them anywhere.” Watters later clarified he was talking about the National Guard. [Fox News, The Five, 9/4/25]
• Fox host Laura Ingraham used footage of an anti-ICE protest in Portland to argue that Democrats want “civil insurrection.” She stated, “It's the French Revolution all over again. Well, that is the scene outside of an ICE facility, where a bunch of losers have set up shop. They’ve been there for weeks harassing residents and federal agents, spraying graffiti, and now setting fires. So, any Democrats at all condemning this? The truth is, the left likes anarchy, makes them feel comfortable. Their policies create crime. They certainly doesn’t stop crime. And the only way to interpret this is: A core element in the Democrat Party wants some type of civil insurrection.” [Fox News, Ingraham Angle, 9/4/25]
• Fox host Brian Kilmeade described Portland as a “chaotic city” and said it was “the anarchy that the American people will not tolerate anymore.” He said, “Think about this: There’s not a cop in sight. This is a chaotic city. They say if you talk about real estate prices going down, if you talk about businesses fleeing. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Portland, Oregon. That's the anarchy that the American people will not tolerate anymore. But I guess the people of Portland are, the few that are left are the protesters that come in there and do it. And ICE is going to do their job the best they can.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 9/5/25]

On September 5, Trump discussed sending troops to Portland during comments he made in the Oval Office. 

“That was not on my list, Portland, but when I watched television last night,” Trump said, adding the protesters in Portland are “paid terrorists.” 

A lawsuit filed by Oregon and Portland on September 28 drew a connection between Fox’s coverage and the September 27 announcement as well.

Right-wing media paint Portland as a “war zone”

In between Trump’s Oval Office comments on September 5 and his Portland announcement on September 27, his administration issued an executive order purporting to designate antifa — a left-wing political ideology that opposes fascism — as a “domestic terrorist organization.” Trump also released a memorandum directing the government to use the Joint Terrorism Task Force to “investigate, prosecute, and disrupt entities and individuals engaged in acts of political violence,” including anti-fascist organizing.

Reports about demonstrations against ICE in Portland do not match the inflammatory claims in right-wing media.

One local resident told Fox12 that “I’ve never seen any of the demonstrations instigate any violence,” adding that she was most bothered by “the tear gas” and ICE’s high-powered flashlight that disrupt her evenings. 

Politico reported that “no more than a few dozen demonstrators have been present late at night at the ICE office in recent weeks.”

Regardless, after Trump’s remarks on September 5, right-wing media continued to reproduce the narrative that Portland was in crisis and required federal intervention. Here are some of the most egregious examples:

• Fox host Emily Compagno said that “Portland is an example” of “the rot” in “West Coast cities.” Compagno: “I appreciated the president's focus this morning on professional agitators coming from the West Coast. I still see the rot that exists in a lot of these West Coast cities as the result of these very insidious, small tumors that grew over the West Coast. Portland is an example.” [Fox News, The Five, 9/12/25]
• War Room host Steve Bannon called for Trump to “declare antifa a domestic terrorist organization” and “arrest a thousand of them.” Bannon: “First step he should do today is declare antifa a domestic terrorist organization, and immediately go shut down Portland or what they're doing in Portland. We know where they are, kick down the doors, and let's arrest a thousand of them over the weekend.” [Real America’s Voice, War Room, 9/12/25]
• Bannon also said that “antifa's burning down Portland every night.” Bannon: “Antifa's burning down Portland every night, stopping … stopping officers, from ICE officers doing their job. They've taken control of Portland. They never really gave it up.” [Real America’s Voice, War Room, 9/12/25]
• Jesse Watters said, “Portland gave antifa homefield advantage — every weekend is war.” He added: “DEI doesn’t deter terrorists.” He later said to a guest: “Tell me about how these people train. They look pretty militaristic.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 9/18/25]
• While reporting on the Dallas ICE facility shooting, Fox host Griff Jenkins raised the issue of weekly “violent protests” in “places like Portland” that left “ICE officers and agents injured.” Jenkins: “Let's not forget, we see, almost every week, violent protests that are being carried out in places like Portland at the ICE facility there, as well as in San Francisco, where you have had ICE officers and agents injured in incidences.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 9/24/25]
• Newsmax anchor Lidia Curanaj said protests in Portland resemble “another horror movie.” Curanaj claimed, “We're following what's going on in Portland. Chaos on the streets there, resembling scenes from another horror movie. Antifa and anti-ICE protesters are endangering the lives of federal agents at an ICE facility.” [Newsmax, Sunday Agenda, 9/28/25]
• The Daily Wire’s Micheal Knowles said, “You can see the pictures of Portland in just the last month or two — it looks like a war zone.” He added that Portland officials are “not protecting one another; you’re letting criminals roam your streets and maraud and kill.” [The Daily Wire, The Michael Knowles Show, 9/29/25]

Fox News’ coverage of Portland created a pretext to justify a military crackdown in the city, and the network has joined others right-wing media voices in cheering on Trump’s actions every step of the way.