President Trump on Monday said that local officials were scared to act amid protests in Los Angeles that center on immigration, defending his decision to send in the National Guard without local approval.

“Some of the things you’re reading out in Los Angeles, thank goodness we sent out some wonderful National Guard, they’ve really helped. And, a lot of problems that we’re having out there. They were afraid to do anything and we sent out the troops and they’ve done a fantastic job. So I want to thank them very much,“ Trump said at the top of his remarks at an “Invest In America” roundtable.

The president was asked why he decided he didn’t need Newsom’s request to send in the National Guard, which he said he would need during protests in 2020, and he insisted that the governor is “incompetent.”

“The biggest change from that statement is we have an incompetent governor,” he said. “If I didn’t get involved, if we didn’t bring the guard in and we would bring more in if we needed it. Because we have to make sure there’s going to be law and order.”

Trump and his team have accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and other local officials of being too soft on protests surrounding raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Meanwhile, Newsom has said California will sue the Trump administration over its deployment of the National Guard.

The president earlier on Monday suggested he would support arresting Newsom after the governor dared the Tom Homan, White House’s border czar, to do so.

When asked what crime Newsom committed that would lead to his arrest, the president responded, “I think his primary crime is running for governor.”

Trump also doubled down on his comments declaring that federal forces have a forceful response to demonstrators who spit on them in Los Angeles.

“’If they spit, we will hit.” This is a statement from the President of the United States concerning the catastrophic Gavin Newscum inspired Riots going on in Los Angeles. The Insurrectionists have a tendency to spit in the face of the National Guardsmen/women, and others,” Trump said on Truth Social. “These Patriots are told to accept this, it’s just the way life runs. But not in the Trump Administration. IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before. Such disrespect will not be tolerated!”

On Sunday, Trump told reporters, “they spit, we hit. And I told them, nobody’s going to spit on our police officers. No body’s going to spit on our military.”

White House officials have highlighted images of burning vehicles and clashes with law enforcement to make the case that the situation in Los Angeles had gotten out of control.

Officials also maintain that Trump intervened at the right time to restore law and order and that the violent attacks had already escalated before he stepped in. But, California Democrats are responding to Trump by calling on residents to not turn to violence while protesting, arguing that the president’s move to bring in the National Guard was meant to provoke the chaos.