The President and His Private Army
The deployment of the National Guard in Washington has long since exceeded the bounds of a local “beautification campaign.” Donald Trump is not concerned with combating crime. He is forcing the U.S. down a dangerous path that will ultimately lead to a police state.
At first, it seemed like a whim: On the way to his golf course just outside Washington, Donald Trump was annoyed by several homeless encampments. He has always disliked the city, which is governed by Democrats and has a large African American population. He called it a “rat hole.” Then he asserted, “We want our Capital BACK!” in an online post.
That was two weeks ago. What has happened since then has long since gone beyond the scope of a local “beautification campaign.” More than 2,200 armed National Guard members from seven states are patrolling the streets of the metropolis with armored vehicles. The local police were placed under the control of the government. Officers from the immigration agency ICE, the Secret Service and the federal law enforcement agency FBI have been carrying out raids day and night. Trump also wants to send armed forces to Baltimore and Chicago soon.
A Diversionary Tactic from the Epstein Scandal?
Nevertheless, the opposition in the U.S. is unsure how to deal with the occupation of American cities. Is this not the latest demonstration of power by an egomaniac? A diversionary tactic from the failure of his Ukraine summit and the Epstein scandal? A deliberate provocation, perhaps, to drive the Democrats into the trap of distancing themselves from security forces and trivializing crimes?
All this may be true. But it's much more than that. The argument that the president is merely fighting crime with unconventional methods does not stand up to scrutiny. Yes, the incidence of murder and manslaughter in American cities is alarmingly high. But this is a decades-old phenomenon. Recently, the numbers have been falling. There is no acute emergency.
In addition, in order to combat violence, hot spots must be targeted. In Washington, these are located in the southeast [area] of the city, which is predominantly inhabited by Black people. Drugs, weapons and social problems play a major role in this. Anyone who wants to address this issue must strengthen preventive measures and increase the police presence in these neighborhoods, in addition to ensuring that the courts are adequately equipped to quickly convict offenders.
The President Is Also Showing Compassion for Criminals
The supposed law-and-order president is doing the opposite. Right at the beginning of his term, he granted a blanket pardon to 1,500 convicted people who stormed the Capitol. He used his control over Congress to cut funding for crime prevention and law enforcement by $800 million. And he has been deploying National Guard members around the capital's tourist attractions to draw public attention.
So, viewed rationally, the whole thing is just a show. But de facto, a worrying development is taking place before our eyes: Trump is simply overriding federal powers. He told National Guard members that they could “do whatever the hell they want.” ICE officers, whose force is currently being increased by 10,000 personnel, do not wear uniforms or name tags while pursuing undocumented immigrants.
Now, the president is setting up a permanently available military reaction force capable of suppressing protests across the country. It doesn't take much imagination to guess how easy it would be to construct a pretext for the deployment of an uncontrolled special forces unit like that — during elections or the inauguration of a “communist” mayor in New York, for instance.
Would-be autocrat Trump is deliberately testing the limits of his power. In doing so, he is forcing his country down an extremely dangerous path. The result will be the transformation of the U.S. into a police state with a presidential private army.
At first, it seemed like a whim: On the way to his golf course just outside Washington, Donald Trump was annoyed by several homeless encampments. He has always disliked the city, which is governed by Democrats and has a large African American population. He called it a “rat hole.” Then he asserted, “We want our Capital BACK!” in an online post.
That was two weeks ago. What has happened since then has long since gone beyond the scope of a local “beautification campaign.” More than 2,200 armed National Guard members from seven states are patrolling the streets of the metropolis with armored vehicles. The local police were placed under the control of the government. Officers from the immigration agency ICE, the Secret Service and the federal law enforcement agency FBI have been carrying out raids day and night. Trump also wants to send armed forces to Baltimore and Chicago soon.
A Diversionary Tactic from the Epstein Scandal?
Nevertheless, the opposition in the U.S. is unsure how to deal with the occupation of American cities. Is this not the latest demonstration of power by an egomaniac? A diversionary tactic from the failure of his Ukraine summit and the Epstein scandal? A deliberate provocation, perhaps, to drive the Democrats into the trap of distancing themselves from security forces and trivializing crimes?
All this may be true. But it's much more than that. The argument that the president is merely fighting crime with unconventional methods does not stand up to scrutiny. Yes, the incidence of murder and manslaughter in American cities is alarmingly high. But this is a decades-old phenomenon. Recently, the numbers have been falling. There is no acute emergency.
In addition, in order to combat violence, hot spots must be targeted. In Washington, these are located in the southeast [area] of the city, which is predominantly inhabited by Black people. Drugs, weapons and social problems play a major role in this. Anyone who wants to address this issue must strengthen preventive measures and increase the police presence in these neighborhoods, in addition to ensuring that the courts are adequately equipped to quickly convict offenders.
The President Is Also Showing Compassion for Criminals
The supposed law-and-order president is doing the opposite. Right at the beginning of his term, he granted a blanket pardon to 1,500 convicted people who stormed the Capitol. He used his control over Congress to cut funding for crime prevention and law enforcement by $800 million. And he has been deploying National Guard members around the capital's tourist attractions to draw public attention.
So, viewed rationally, the whole thing is just a show. But de facto, a worrying development is taking place before our eyes: Trump is simply overriding federal powers. He told National Guard members that they could “do whatever the hell they want.” ICE officers, whose force is currently being increased by 10,000 personnel, do not wear uniforms or name tags while pursuing undocumented immigrants.
Now, the president is setting up a permanently available military reaction force capable of suppressing protests across the country. It doesn't take much imagination to guess how easy it would be to construct a pretext for the deployment of an uncontrolled special forces unit like that — during elections or the inauguration of a “communist” mayor in New York, for instance.
Would-be autocrat Trump is deliberately testing the limits of his power. In doing so, he is forcing his country down an extremely dangerous path. The result will be the transformation of the U.S. into a police state with a presidential private army.
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