Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) on Tuesday slammed President Trump over the recent immigration protests in Los Angeles, saying the president “wanted this fight.”

“He wanted to focus on immigration and crime enforcement to distract attention away from the problems that his reconciliation bill is [having],” Smith told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead.”

“You know, the bill that’s going to knock like 12 million people off of health care and balloon the deficit by $2.5 trillion,” he added. “I think President Trump wanted this fight, and I think he picked it.”

Both California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have clashed with the president over his recent intervention amid immigration protests in the Los Angeles area.

Bass slammed Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in

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