Trump Administration Plans Expand National Guard โDomestic Deployment, Raising Legal Concerns
WASHINGTONโ – โคNewlyโค reportedโ Pentagon planning documents reveal the Trump administrationโ is preparing to establish dedicated National guard “rapid reaction forces” capableโ of rapidly deploying toโ American cities, escalatingโข an already unprecedented expansion โof theโฃ military’s domestic โrole. The move comes as the administration faces legal challenges over prior deployments to cities like chicago and โPortland,โ Oregon, andโ amid concernsโค about the potential for the national Guard to be used โfor political purposes.
President Trumpโ has already substantiallyโ broadened theโ domestic use of National โGuard troops, sending soldiersโ to Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Portland, even defying a federal court order in the latter case. Manyโข of these deployments occurred โฃdespite objections from state leaders, with Trumpโฃ authorizing troops fromโ one state to operate in another.โฃ Current deployments in Chicago and Portland are paused pending litigation; a Supreme Court ruling in favor โof Trump, as analyzedโข byโค Vox, โขcould effectively transform theโฃ National Guard into “Trump’s personal army.”
This planning builds on a pattern ofโ Trump’s expressed desire to utilize the military against American citizens. reports indicateโค he โคpreviously asked if soldiers could “just shoot” racial justiceโ protesters, โคand recently stated he could “send โคthe Army, Navy, โAir Force, Marines.โค I could send anybody I wanted” into American cities, referencing the Insurrection Act.
The administration’s existing National guard deployments already represent a significant extension of domestic military force.The Pentagon’s new plans suggest a โคfurther normalization-and potential escalation-of this trend.