In an era of record-low media trust, getting basic facts wrong doesn’t help. 

In the wake of President Trump’s recent decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles, a number of media outlets have framed it as historically unprecedented. 

Reporters specifically latched onto the fact that California Governor Gavin Newsom did not consent to having the National Guard mobilized: 

  • Time Magazine wrote, “the last time a President mobilized troops without a governor’s consent was in 1965” 
  • The AP reported, “Trump called up the California National Guard over the objections of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom — the first time in 60 years a president has done so” 
  • NPR agreed, “It is the first time since 1965 that a president called National Guard troops to respond to civil unrest without a governor’s official request for assistance” 

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The claim even made its way to Wikipedia, and appeared in this tweet which received nearly 700,000 views:

There’s just one problem: it isn’t true.  

The Truth 

In September 1989, President George H.W. Bush mobilized National Guard troops as well as active-duty military “to restore law and order in and about the Virgin Islands” in the wake of Hurricane Hugo. 

Territories like Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have their own National Guard units, just like states do. And the president has the same authority to place them under federal command. 

At the time, widespread looting and the collapse of local law enforcement prompted President Bush to intervene. 

But as The Washington Post reported at the time, then-Governor Alexander Farrelly “told the Associated Press that he had not asked for federal help in restoring order” and “disputed White House officials’ announcement earlier in the day that he had telephoned President Bush to seek help in quelling widespread disorder.” 

The Los Angeles Times confirmed “the governor said he had not asked for federal help to restore order.” Instead, the Times found, a territorial senator named Holland Redfield was the one that asked for the troops. 

In short: the National Guard was deployed without the consent of the governor in 1989.  

Why It Matters

This isn’t about justifying or opposing President Trump’s decision to send in the National Guard.  

It’s about the press getting the facts right, especially at a time when trust in the media is at historic lows. When multiple major outlets confidently declare something that isn’t true, it reinforces the perception that the press is more interested in narrative than accuracy. 

Credit where it’s due: Politico’s Cheyanne Daniels took the time to explain the Virgin Islands case in a recent article about the Los Angeles protests. Other outlets should have done the same. 

Media outlets should correct the record; readers deserve the full picture. 

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