Trump Revokes Portland Troop Order After Firestorm of Criticism and Calls for Removal
President Donald Trump abruptly revoked his controversial order to deploy troops with “full force” into Portland, Oregon, following an avalanche of criticism from lawmakers, civil rights leaders, and celebrities — including pop icon Taylor Swift, who accused him of “terrorizing Americans” and called for his forcible removal from office.
The dramatic reversal came less than 48 hours after Trump announced he had directed his Secretary of War to send federal forces into the city, claiming Portland was under siege by so-called “domestic terrorists.” The announcement sparked immediate outrage, with critics accusing the president of fabricating a crisis to justify authoritarian overreach.
Swift’s blistering statement — in which she urged Americans to stand against Trump’s “war on democracy” — went viral, garnering millions of shares online. Within hours, prominent figures from former President Barack Obama to Oregon’s governor amplified the condemnation, fueling calls for impeachment proceedings.
By Saturday morning, the political fallout had grown too intense to ignore. In a brief statement, Trump said he was rescinding the order, blaming the “fake news media” and “radical left hysteria” for misrepresenting his intentions. Yet the reversal was widely seen as a rare retreat for a president who has built his political brand on defiance.
“Donald Trump threatened to unleash the U.S. military on American citizens exercising their constitutional rights. That is not leadership — that is tyranny,” said Oregon Governor Kate Brown, who called the withdrawal “a victory for democracy.”
On Capitol Hill, House leaders signaled they were still weighing whether Trump’s initial directive constituted an abuse of power warranting impeachment. “Revoking the order does not erase the intent,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “We cannot normalize a president who even considers turning troops against his own people.”
The reversal has not quieted Trump’s critics, many of whom argue that his instinct to escalate against peaceful dissent underscores the dangers of his presidency. For Swift, who has emerged as an unlikely political voice in recent years, the fight is far from over. “Backing down doesn’t change what he tried to do,” she wrote on X. “America deserves better.”
As the debate continues, one thing is clear: Trump’s Portland order and its swift unraveling have ignited a political firestorm that could shape the closing months of his presidency.
