'Portland is doing just fine': Oregon governor rejects Trump's plan to send troops to the city

Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting/NPR

Sept. 27, 2025 1:52 p.m. Updated: Sept. 27, 2025 8:26 p.m.


Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek urged President Trump by phone on Saturday to back off of threats to send troops to Portland. “Portland is doing just fine, and I made that very clear to the President this morning,” Kotek said at a press conference on the city’s waterfront, flanked by local elected leaders and businesspeople. “Our city is a far cry from the war-ravaged community that he has posted about on social media. I conveyed that directly to him.”

Kotek’s statements added to the drumbeat of Oregon officials who have urged citizens not to “take the bait” in light of Trump’s announcement on social media that he would send troops to a city he has often described in apocalyptic terms. But the press event didn’t offer much clarity on exactly what the federal government might have planned.

On questioning, Kotek acknowledged that she had received “written communication” from the U.S. Department of War that she said offered the state the option of utilizing National Guard troops.

Kotek said she is not responding to that letter. “There is no mission for them right now,” she said, adding that troops may be needed to address wildfires. “I am not deploying the Oregon National Guard.”

Read more: https://www.opb.org/article/2025/09/27/oregon-portland-trump-troops-reaction/