Trump orders deployment of troops to Portland

ICE agents charge towards protesters during a protest against the U.S. President Donald Trump administration's immigration policies, outside an ICE detention facility in Portland, Oregon, U.S., September 1, 2025. REUTERS/John Rudoff/File Photo

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said he was directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to send troops to Portland, Oregon and to protect federal immigration facilities against "domestic terrorists", saying he was authorizing them to use "full force, if necessary."

Ordering the latest crackdown on a Democrat-led city, Trump said in a social media post that he was directing Hegseth "to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists."

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, responding to Trump's order, said: "The number of necessary troops is zero, in Portland and any other American city. The president will not find lawlessness or violence here unless he plans to perpetrate it."

In a press conference on Friday, Wilson and other local leaders urged calm in the face of an apparent influx of federal officers that the mayor said did not come at the request of the city. "This may be a show of force, but that's all it is. It's just a big show," he said.

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, wrote on X that Trump "may be replaying the 2020 playbook and surging into Portland with the goal of provoking conflict and violence."

In 2020, protests erupted in downtown Portland, the Pacific Northwest enclave with a reputation as a liberal city, following the killing in Minneapolis of George Floyd. The protests dragged on for months and some civic leaders at the time said they were spurred rather than quelled by Trump’s deployment of federal troops.

TRUMP FOCUS ON CRIME, 'ANTIFA'

On Thursday, Trump told reporters that "crazy people" were trying to burn buildings in Portland. "They're professional agitators and anarchists," he said, without providing evidence.

Trump last week signed an executive order that declares the anti-fascist antifa, opens new tabmovement a domestic "terrorist organization" as part of a crackdown on what he claims is left-wing sponsored political violence.

According to U.S. law enforcement, there has never been a terrorist incident in the United States connected to antifa. Trump first sought to designate the movement as a domestic terror organization during the nationwide George Floyd protests.

The most notorious episode involving the movement occurred in Portland in August 2020, when Michael Reinoehl, a self-identified antifa supporter, shot and killed Aaron “Jay” Danielson, a member of the far-right group Patriot Prayer. Reinoehl was killed by federal and local law enforcement officers during an attempt to arrest him.

Trump has made crime a major focus of his administration even as violent crime rates have fallen in many U.S. cities. His crackdown on municipalities led by Democrats including Los Angeles and Washington has spurred legal challenges and protests.

The Trump administration's goal of deporting record numbers of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally has framed the push around criminals, but it has arrested many people without criminal records. Residents in New York, Chicago, Washington and other Democrat-leaning metro areas have pushed back in recent months.

In the Chicago suburb of Broadview on Friday, ICE used tear gas, less-lethal rounds and pepper balls to quell protests outside an immigration detention center. Protests have also occurred outside other detention centers around the country, including in Portland.

Tylenol is OK if needed

U.S. President Donald Trump's recent public warnings urging pregnant women to "fight like hell" not to take Tylenol (acetaminophen) have immediately triggered widespread concern among patients, prompting a flood of questions for doctors despite scant supporting scientific evidence.

At a White House press conference, Trump, flanked by health officials, warned of a link between the pain reliever and autism, announcing plans to add risk warnings to drug labels.

Patient Anxiety and Doctor Reassurance

The very next day, healthcare providers across the U.S. began fielding anxious questions:

• Dr. Rana Alissa, President of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, reported pregnant women asking, "What should I do? Do you think it's safe? I just took Tylenol last month. Do you think I already hurt my baby?"

• Dr. Rachel Blake, an OB-GYN in New York and New Jersey, has been reassuring her pregnant patients that Tylenol remains safe, emphasizing that "There has been no new research that suggests there should be a change in that guideline."

Medical Community Pushback

Dozens of major medical, research, and autism advocacy groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Tylenol maker Kenvue, have publicly decried the President's comments.

• Kenvue maintains that independent, sound science shows the drug does not cause autism.

• Dr. Sindhu Srinivas, president of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, noted that linking Tylenol use to autism only "heaps blame on pregnant women," who already experience significant guilt and fear about taking any medication.

• The CDC and FDA issued warnings to providers, but added the crucial caveat that no causal relationship between acetaminophen and autism has been established.

• European and British health agencies, along with the World Health Organization (WHO), have rushed to correct the record, uniformly stating there is no conclusive evidence linking the drug to autism.

---

The Risk of Untreated Fever

Doctors emphasize that while they counsel patients to use the least amount of Tylenol for the shortest time possible, it remains the only pain reliever considered safe during pregnancy.

Critically, untreated fever and pain during pregnancy pose a very real risk to the fetus, potentially leading to:

• Birth defects

• Preterm birth

• Low birth weight

• Miscarriage

• Neurodevelopmental disorders (especially if fever occurs in the first trimester)

Experts like Dr. Caitlin Baptiste, a maternal fetal medicine specialist, stressed that the focus should be on evidence-based science, not adding unfounded worries that leave women vulnerable to misinformation.

Trump's Nobel Peace Prize Hopes Are Vain: Experts

Despite his intense public lobbying, U.S. President Donald Trump will not win the Nobel Peace Prize he so desires, according to experts and members of the award committee. The announcement is scheduled for October 10.

Analysts suggest that Trump's actions, which involve dismantling the international world order that the Nobel committee cherishes, make him an unlikely candidate.

---

Why Trump is Unlikely to Win

Experts cite several reasons why President Trump's bid for the prize is unlikely to succeed:

• Contradiction of Nobel's Will: Alfred Nobel's testament states the award should honor the person who has done the most to "advance fellowship among nations." Nina Graeger, director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, argues Trump is doing the opposite by withdrawing the U.S. from international agreements (like the WHO and the Paris Accord) and initiating trade wars with allies.

• Controversial Actions: Historian Asle Sveen notes that Trump's support for Israel in the war in Gaza and his attempts at rapprochement with Russian President Vladimir Putin count against him.

• Counterproductive Lobbying: The Norwegian Nobel Committee prefers to work independently and is wary of outside pressure. The deputy leader of the committee, Asle Toje, indicated that intense influence campaigns like Trump's often have a negative effect on a candidate's chances.

However, a former committee member, Henrik Syse, noted that past winners like Henry Kissinger and F.W. de Klerk have received the prize despite controversial records, but only after they "explicitly seen the things that they had contributed to were wrong, and therefore took the steps necessary to correct these wrongs."

---

Potential Alternative Winners

Instead of a political leader, the five-member committee may choose to highlight organizations or individuals dedicated to humanitarian work, especially in environments made more challenging by issues like U.S. aid cuts.

Potential laureates include:

• Humanitarian and UN Groups: The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the UN Children's Agency (UNICEF), the Red Cross, or Doctors Without Borders.

• Journalists and Press Freedom: Given the high number of media workers killed recently (many in Gaza), the committee could focus on press freedom organizations like the Committee to Protect Journalists or Reporters Without Borders.

• Local Peace Mediators: Groups like Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms or local peace committees negotiating ceasefires and aid access in conflict zones.

• UN Institutions: The International Court of Justice or the United Nations as a whole, which is marking its 80th anniversary.