Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faced sharp criticism over a widely ridiculed post on X in which she described the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles as “peaceful demonstrations” and blamed President Donald Trump for creating “chaos” in Southern California.
Critics labeled the post as “delusional” and accused Clinton of downplaying the violence, but also went after her for disabling comments to her post.
“Comments off lol. She can’t handle the ratio. This is what Hillary Clinton calls ‘peaceful demonstrations,’” popular conservative X account Libs of TikTok posted, noting that remarks were limited to only accounts Clinton follows.
The message came in response to Clinton’s first and, as of Tuesday morning, only comment on the Los Angeles riots. In her post, she referred to the unrest as “peaceful demonstrations” and criticized President Trump for deploying the National Guard over the weekend.
“California Governor Newsom didn’t request the National Guard be deployed to his state following peaceful demonstrations. Trump sent them anyway,” Clinton posted on X. “It’s the first time in 60 years a president has made that choice. Trump’s goal isn’t to keep Californians safe. His goal is to cause chaos, because chaos is good for Trump.”
The comment triggered significant criticism from many observers, who urged the former first lady to “shut up” and accused her of disabling comments on the post in response to the backlash.
“Ever notice that only leftists disable comments?” California Republican Liberty Caucus chair John Dennis posted in response.
Social media users were able to respond to Clinton through quote engagements, but not through direct replies as of Tuesday morning.
“These are not peaceful Hillary,” Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna posted to X.
“A public figure and a fraud like herself shouldn’t be able to lock her replies, @elonmusk,” one person responded on X, who then tagged X owner Elon Musk.
“Hey @ElonMusk, can you make it so that government officials and former government officials cannot turn off their replies,” another user posted.
“Accusing the National Guard of causing chaos is a serious allegation that requires serious proof. I see none,” another user said.
“Hillary Clinton is delusional if nothing else,” wrote another in response to footage of a fire raging as rioters waved a Mexican flag.
Riots erupted in the heavily Democratic city Friday evening after federal law enforcement launched immigration raids in Los Angeles, part of President Trump’s pledge to deport undocumented immigrants who entered the country during the Biden administration.
In response, local leaders—including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom—publicly condemned the raids and expressed support for undocumented immigrants living in the state.
What began as protests against the immigration raids quickly descended into violence, with rioters targeting federal law enforcement officers, some hurling rocks at them. Videos captured scenes of looting at local businesses, cars set ablaze, and demonstrators taking over a major freeway.
On Saturday, Trump announced the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to help contain the escalating violence, bypassing the usual protocol that requires the governor to authorize such action. In response, the state of California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing it of attempting to unlawfully “federalize the California National Guard,” though a federal judge refused, for now, to grant Newsom an emergency injunction.
As the riots continued to rage on Monday, the Trump administration deployed hundreds of U.S. Marines to respond to the chaos surrounding anti-immigration protests.
“Approximately 700 Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division will seamlessly integrate with the Title 10 forces under Task Force 51 who are protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area,” U.S. Northern Command said in a Monday statement, according to Fox News.