trump's Private Army
Summary (for time-stressed readers):
Seven months in, trump has federalized D.C.’s police, deployed Marines without governors’ consent, and is pushing a permanent military reaction force for use against U.S. citizens. Separately, ICE operates as a prototype—armed raids with military backing, outside constitutional limits. Lies about “war zones” sell the occupation. This mirrors the SS: loyalty to one man over law, enemies invented, powers that never recede. Each step normalizes the next. When soldiers patrol uninvited, you’re not a citizen. You’re a subject.
When They Deploy the Military Against Citizens, We’ve Already Lost
Yesterday, trump put Washington D.C.’s police under federal control and ordered about 800 National Guard troops into the city—despite official city data showing violent crime down 26% year-to-date and overall crime down 7%. This follows his June deployment to Los Angeles—about 700 Marines plus ~4,000 Guard—carried out over California’s objections, the first such move in roughly 60 years.
Meanwhile, ICE agents—sworn to the Constitution, not to a president—have been conducting aggressive raids that local officials said terrorized communities, while Guard and Marines were sent to “support” federal operations. It’s not the formal “reaction force” on paper, but it functions like a prototype: a federal apparatus with military muscle operating without state consent.
The Constitutional Betrayal
Every ICE agent swears to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Not a man. Not a party. The more federal agents and troops act as one White House’s domestic muscle—over governors, over councils—the more that oath gets tested in practice. California is in court arguing the L.A. deployment violated the Posse Comitatus Act.
The Speed of Collapse
The SS took twenty years to evolve from 300 bodyguards to a million-strong machine. trump’s seven-month arc is faster:
- January: Inauguration and early directives signaling tougher domestic use of force.
- February: Cartels formally designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, expanding the premise for military involvement.
- June: 700 Marines + thousands of Guard deployed to Los Angeles without the governor’s consent.
- August 8: Pentagon ordered to prepare options for overseas use of force against those FTO-designated cartels.
- August 11: D.C. police federalized; ~800 Guard ordered in.
At this pace, the normalization curve—not martial law—does the damage first.
The Math of Lies
trump claimed D.C.’s violence is out of control, even “worse than Mexico City.” The city’s own crime data says the opposite: violent crime is down sharply this year; total crime down as well. Facts didn’t matter. Narrative did.
What actually happened: federal control of MPD; 800 Guard; no bona fide emergency beyond rhetoric.
The Moral Prerequisite We’ve Lost
John Adams said it plain: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
He wasn’t talking about church. He meant basic decency—leaders who don’t lie every time they speak, citizens who can tell truth from propaganda.
When the president lies about crime to justify occupation, when senators lie about elections to justify insurrection, when news networks lie about everything—the Constitution becomes toilet paper with fancy signatures.
Democracy needs moral people. We’re running on empty.
They Told Us Their Plan
This was not hidden. In 2023, The Washington Post reported trump’s allies drafted plans to invoke the Insurrection Act “at the very onset” to field a ready reaction force for American streets. His own statements framed “the enemy within” as a military problem. It’s a blueprint, not a slip.
The Insurrection Act: What It Really Is (and Isn’t)
The Insurrection Act dates to 1807, but it has been amended multiple times, including expansions in 2006 and a rollback in 2008; today it’s codified at 10 U.S.C. §§ 251–255. It gives presidents broad discretion under certain sections even without a state’s request. That’s why reformers keep warning about abuse.
Eisenhower used related authority to enforce desegregation; Bush Sr. used troops in L.A. with a governor’s request. The June 2025 Los Angeles deployment stands out precisely because it lacked one.
Creating Enemies Through Lies
Define an enemy. Dehumanize. Destroy. The formula is old. Contemporary version: immigrants are “invaders,” protesters “insurrectionists,” cities “war zones,” opponents “the enemy within.” The point isn’t accuracy; it’s permission. Major-city crime has been falling.
Two-Track Timeline: Proposed Military Reaction Force vs. ICE Prototype
Proposed Force — the formal architecture to be invoked under the Insurrection Act.
ICE Prototype — the already operational test run with troops and raids.
ICE as the Model (Separate from the Proposed Reaction Force)
The proposed military reaction force is the architecture. ICE with military support is the prototype. Raids at Home Depot lots, garment factories, warehouses. National Guard and Marines photographed accompanying federal operations. Governors sidelined. Once that’s normal, scaling it to other agencies is trivial.
The Ratchet Effect
Emergency powers don’t unwind themselves. Each “temporary” deployment becomes precedent for the next. Hegseth pitched the Guard as “force multipliers” and trump sold “Liberation Day in D.C.”—language built to stick.
The Ice Breaking
The ice was cracking for years—money in politics, institutional rot—then shattered in obvious spots on January 6. Now the sledgehammers. “Protect buildings.” “Restore order.” “Fight crime.” If you don’t know the rhyme, the melody is 1933/1973/1967. You know the rest.
The Choice
When soldiers patrol your streets uninvited, you’re not a citizen. You’re a subject. When dissent becomes treason, you don’t have a republic. You have a dictatorship with better PR.
Franklin’s warning still applies. We traded the hard work of citizenship for lies that feel good and men who promise to handle it. The ice isn’t just cracking. It’s collapsing. Move—or drown knowing you stood there watching.
Appendix: Clickable Sources
- Metropolitan Police Department crime data – August 2025 snapshot.
- Los Angeles Times: Marines sent to L.A. over objections.
- California AG lawsuit over Posse Comitatus violation.
- DOJ press release on cartel FTO designation.
- ABC News: Pentagon preparing cartel strike options.
- Washington Post: Trump’s Insurrection Act plan.
- U.S. Code: Insurrection Act, 10 U.S.C. §§ 251–255.
- LA Times: Marines accompany ICE raids.