The White House on Monday dismissed comments from New Jersey Democratic Representative LaMonica McIver after she accused President Trump’s use of the term “Liberation Day” of being a coded reference to “white power,” as reported by The New York Post.
McIver, who was indicted in June on federal charges of assaulting and interfering with immigration officers outside a New Jersey detention center, made her remarks while criticizing President Trump’s law-and-order initiatives in Washington, D.C.

She expressed concerns during an appearance on the “Defending Democracy with Marc Elias” podcast that the president’s efforts to take control of the District’s police department and deploy federal law enforcement and National Guard troops could, if expanded to other Democrat-run cities, “start a civil war.”
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“I think there’s an ultimate agenda of this administration to do these types of things,” McIver said, describing the increased federal presence in Washington. She argued that the president wanted to provoke unrest.
“Sic the military on the very people that they’re supposed to be protecting in these cities and then expect a certain response so that it can escalate — I truly believe that that’s what the president hopes for.”
McIver then turned her criticism to Trump’s “Liberation Day” framing for Washington, claiming it was “racist.”
“When he says, ‘Oh,’ you know, ‘it’s Liberation Day,’ and all of these things, those are, you know, ways of him saying, ‘Oh, it’s white power.’ Those are racist remarks. His number one targets are cities that are led by black mayors.”
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The congresswoman further argued that the president’s initiatives focus on sanctuary cities, which she said “support immigration,” adding that his agenda “show us each and every day how much of a bigot he is.”
UNREAL: Dem Rep. LaMonica McIver claims Trump is making decisions based on race.
“When he says oh you know, it’s liberation day and all of these things, those are ways of him saying oh it’s white power, it’s what I want to do, those are racist remarks.”pic.twitter.com/nj3QTJ35Lc
— Resist the Mainstream (@ResisttheMS) August 18, 2025
In response, the White House pushed back sharply against McIver’s remarks, highlighting her pending criminal case.
“LaMonica McIver, whose claim to fame was assaulting federal agents, is an unserious person whose comments are nothing more than a political stunt, much like her attempted catfight in front of an ICE facility,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields told the New York Post.
See the woman in the red jacket in that video?
That’s Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver.
She broke into a New Jersey ICE facility and assaulted multiple law enforcement officers—violating federal law under 18 U.S. Code § 111.
Expel her from Congress. Lock her up. pic.twitter.com/qG3aMgpAKx
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 9, 2025
Fields went further, saying:
“Congress would be better off if she left, and the people of New Jersey would benefit greatly if she pursued her apparent passion for street fighting.”
McIver has pleaded not guilty to three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding, and interfering with federal officials stemming from the June altercation at the Newark ICE facility. Her office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The clash between McIver and the White House underscores the growing partisan fight over immigration enforcement, sanctuary city policies, and federal intervention in Democrat-led jurisdictions.
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