President Donald Trump’s military interventions in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., foretell his plan for other cities.
Broad mobilization of the military on U.S. soil could happen under the Insurrection Act, which Trump has flirted with invoking. That rarely used Act allows troops to arrest and use force against civilians, which is otherwise prohibited by longstanding law and tradition.
These developments should sound alarms for all Americans. It is time to oppose such misuse of the military and emergency powers.
Deviating from the truth, Trump is declaring states of emergency where none exist in order to deploy the National Guard, first in Los Angeles and now in Washington, D.C.
On Aug. 11, 2025, President Trump “federalized” the D.C. police department and ordered the National Guard to send 800 troops to the city. That’s in addition to some 500 federal law enforcement officers directed to D.C. the week before.