“The moment we have feared has arrived” — Trump creates a crisis
It is 60 years since a US President deployed the National Guard without the backing of a state governor.
Last time, it was to protect civil rights demonstrators — this time, it’s to bully demonstrators into silence.
Trump has ordered thousands of National Guard into Los Angeles, claiming the city needs “liberating” from violent disorder which he triggered.
This is a confrontation Trump, and those around him, have been itching for since January. A fabricated crisis that becomes a pretext to militarise against an “enemy within.”
After the Supreme Court ruling that Presidents have broad immunity for their actions, Trump is testing the limits. How far can he go? Can he sent the military into a major US city? Will the courts stop him? And if they rule against him, will he pay any attention?
As California Governor Gavin Newsom put it: “Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there… California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes.”
On Saturday, thousands of US military personnel will march past Donald Trump in Washington DC, at the birthday parade he’s wanted for so many years, as other members of the military stand face-to-face with US citizens, whose apparent crime is to disagree with the President.
