Unnecessary Force: Trump Sends Military to LA
Reacting to protests, Trump provokes a fight to justify his authoritarian crackdown
The Trump administration is provoking yet another fight, this time in Los Angeles. Amid protests against President Trump's cruel mass deportations, the Trump administration unilaterally deployed the National Guard in direct opposition to local officials' wishes. This escalation by the Trump administration is not about law and order; it is a matter of control and suppressing blue states that Trump dislikes.
Retribution Guaranteed
From the very beginning, Mr. Trump has demonstrated that he wants to use state agents against people he deems as criminals. During his last campaign, then-candidate Trump promised to use the military against Democratic-run cities. In a 2023 speech in Iowa, the Republican candidate said, "The next time, I’m not waiting. One of the things I did was let them run it, and we’re going to show how bad a job they do...Well, we did that. We don’t have to wait any longer.”
Throughout his political career, Trump has repeatedly used violent rhetoric to denigrate people with whom he disagrees. In 2024, Trump mocked a protester, saying that she should "go back home to Mommy" to "get the hell knocked out of her." This violent and denigrating rhetoric is not only thuggish but is part of a larger view of anti-Trump advocates as being inherently illegitimate and deserving of violent acts against them.
In addition to the escalation and denigration by the administration, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has threatened to send Marines to Los Angeles, prompting California Governor Gavin Newsom to lambast the threat. In a post, Newsom called the threat "deranged behavior." As of Monday, the Trump administration has deployed an estimated 700 Marines to Los Angeles to support the 4,000 National Guard troops already being deployed there.
Since then, Trump has also called for the arrest of Governor Newsom. For what? According to Trump, Governor Newsom's crime was "running for governor because he’s done such a bad job.” This is blatant retaliation.
The Push for Armed Suppression
The escalation by Trump and his allies is unnecessary and serves only to promote the dehumanization of protesters. Make no mistake, Trump is attempting to send a message that any criticism, protests, or opposition to his agenda will not be tolerated. Peaceful protest, even when well-organized and controlled, is treated as criminal by Trump and his ilk. While yes, some have gone beyond the realm of acceptable protest, that is not the case for the larger protests in LA, as the LAPD itself noted.
The fact of the matter is that the American people can't trust a convicted criminal in Trump to uphold the law with restraint. This protest could have been a footnote in American history, but now it is a fight. All because of Trump.
