Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida is prepared for any pop-up violence during "No Kings Day" protests in the state on Saturday in an interview with Laura IngrahamĀ on Fox News.
"Our folks are ready at the state level. As you know, the local police will be the first to respond if anything goes wrong," DeSantis said on The Ingraham Angle. "County sheriffs will be there as well. We have our state law enforcement on standby. They'll be ready to go."
DeSantis specified that the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the National Guard would be ready for any unrest.
No Kings Day is a nationwide protest against actions by President Donald Trump. It is also on the same day as Flag Day and Trump's scheduled military parade celebrating the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday in Washington, D.C.
The organization behind it, No Kings, said the protests are to show Trump that America has " no thrones, no crowns, no kings." Florida will reportedly have 75 No Kings Day protests on Saturday.
"No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance. From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, weāre taking action to reject authoritarianismāand show the world what democracy really looks like," NoKings.org said.
The protest also comes after riots erupted in Los Angeles last weekend over anger at federal immigration raids. Trump has since ordered thousands of National Guard troops and 700 US Marines to the city to quell the violence.
The move soon prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta to file an emergency order against the Trump administration for "unnecessary militarization of Los Angeles to include immigration enforcement in communities."
A US federal judge denied that request on Tuesday.
While speaking to Ingraham, DeSantis said Newsom rejected Florida's offer to help disperse the unrest,Ā accusing the state of trying to "escalate" the situation.
"What escalates the situation is being a sanctuary state. What escalates the situation is tolerating the looting and the rioting and the burning of these vehicles, and attacks on law enforcement," DeSantis said.
The governor added that riots would not happen under his watch, mentioning past unrest in left-leaning cities during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
"If you riot, if you loot, if you engage in any type of mob violence -Ā you are not going to be treated like they do in Portland, where you get a slap on the wrist and just get put right back on the street," DeSantis said. "You do that in Florida, you're going to jail."
