They are trying to strike a careful balance on issues where Republicans have held a political advantage in recent years.

The president claimed, without giving evidence, that the protesters were “paid” agitators, that the Los Angeles police asked for the National Guard, and that swaths of the city were under gang control.

President Donald Trump kicked off an unprecedented military-style parade in Washington, D.C. —commemorating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and his 79th birthday—as millions across the country took to the streets to protest him, rallying against his expanded immigration raids and a spending bill projected to slash healthcare access for millions.