1. Trump has publicly and privately fantasized about deploying the military on US soil against protesters for years.
In LA, with little justification, he has made those dreams a reality, violating longstanding democratic norms.
He has manufactured a crisis.
Let's review the history.
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2. Trump strongly advocated for using the military to quell racial justice protests in the summer of 2020. He publicly encouraged governors to deploy the National Guard to "dominate" the streets.
"If a city or state refuses to take the actions necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them," Trump said.
https://popular.info/p/trump-manufactures-a-crisis-in-la
Trump manufactures a crisis in LA
For years, President Trump has dreamed of mobilizing the military against protesters in the United States.
3. Behind the scenes, Trump was even more ruthless.
According to a 2022 memoir by former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Trump asked Esper if the military could shoot at people protesting George Floyd's murder.
"Can't you just shoot them?" Trump asked. "Just shoot them in the legs or something?"
4. On another occasion that summer, according to a book by journalist Michael Bender, Trump announced that he was putting Army General Mark Milley, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in charge of quelling the protests.
This reportedly led to a shouting match:
Judd Legum