Law enforcement officers deploy smoke grenades to disperse protesters gathered outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in south Portland, Oregon, U.S., October 5, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump claimed without evidence on Monday that an insurrection is taking place in Portland, Oregon, as he seeks to deploy National Guard troops to the city amid what he describes as surging crime.

He made the comments during an interview on Newsmax.

Earlier on Monday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he might invoke the Insurrection Act of 1792, which would allow troops to directly participate in civilian law enforcement, for which there is little recent precedent.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward; editing by Kanishka Singh)