As we’ve also noted, Portland has been the scene of much anti-ICE activity over the years, with it picking up during the first Trump administration and ramping up more after the second one got underway. In June, for instance, the feds crushed an Antifa-led attack on the ICE facility, which reportedly involved the violent agitators “breaking out the glass front doors, breaching the building, and trashing the outside.”
More recently, however, the Portland “protesters” have taken it to a troubling new level, including bringing in a guillotine while playing a song with the lyrics “We got the guillotine, you better run” in the background.
But while Democrats in Oregon have indeed been gaslighting over the near-nightly occurrences of unrest and chaos in Portland, it was a Democrat senator from another state who accidentally revealed his cowardice and lack of regard for the safety and well-being of an American city experiencing a leftist extremist invasion in an astonishing back-and-forth on X.
It all started when Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) weighed in on Trump’s announcement by proclaiming that Portland was not a war zone.
“There is no war zone in Portland, Oregon, and the American military should not deploy to American cities unless another country were attacking us,” Schatz . “Calling an American city a war zone should alarm everyone.”
Understandably, this did not sit well with journalist Andy Ngo, an expert on the Antifa movement who has been viciously targeted by the group over his on-the-ground reporting on their activities in blue cities like Portland and Seattle.
“Do you want to go with my colleagues to the ICE facility in Portland that has been under siege since June?” Ngo, who is a senior editor at The Post Millennial, . “Can you livestream it so that the video tells the story, not your lies?”
Instead of directly answering the question, Schatz his original point:
If there’s a narrow and well explained and justified law enforcement mission then I don’t necessarily oppose that. But saying there is a war in the United States has specific legal and civic implications that should concern us all.
At this point, another X user stepped in to point out to the senator that he had not said whether he’d be willing to go to Portland to see for himself. Then, this happened:
Screengrabs were snagged of it, just in case he tries to delete it later:
No thank you.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) September 27, 2025
Schatz later tried to make himself look better, but instead only made himself look even worse:
Translation: I’m willing to try and score political points with my base from the safety of my smartphone or laptop as I make claims that I refuse to try and personally substantiate by visiting the city myself.
This is Democrat fecklessness and weakness on steroids. And unfortunately, Schatz isn’t the only one.
Darnell Thompkins is a Canadian-born American and conservative opinion writer who brings a unique perspective to political and cultural discussions. Passionate about traditional values and individual freedoms, Darnell’s commentary reflects his commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue. When he’s not writing, he enjoys watching hockey and celebrating the sport that connects his Canadian roots with his American journey.