Trump’s deployment of troops is not only a shameless display of tyranny, it’s a pointless fight.
President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, to deploy troops to Portland, Oregon to supposedly counter the “attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists” in a “war-ravaged” city.
Despite Trump’s claims that Portland is under attack by terrorists, this is simply not the case. According to the Portland Police Bureau, the most violent attacks were quickly-extinguished small fires, and the activity only peaked in June. By September, this pursuit was limited to 9-15 protesters per night. During the day, the only “attack” on Portland was committed by religious organizations, offering spiritual support to people attending appointments at the ICE facility.
In a unique and humorous display of protest against both ICE and troop deployment, the people of Portland wore inflatable animal costumes in their silent objections. This light-hearted form of protest strongly contrasts Trump’s description of Portland as a war zone.
Not only did Trump misinterpret the level of violence in Portland, but he doesn’t seem to know what the political movement, “Antifa”, actually is. When Trump signed an executive order on Sept. 22, designating Antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization,” he appeared unaware that Antifa isn’t actually a company. According to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, “Antifa is an ideology, not an organization.” This renders Trump’s counter against “attacks by Antifa” in Portland meaningless; there are no attacks by Antifa, because an ideology cannot physically “attack” anything.
Following his announcement of the deployment of troops in Portland, Trump delivered a dark and spiraling speech calling for the use of cities as training grounds for the military during a gathering of top U.S. generals.
“I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military National Guard,” said President Trump, referring to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Portland, and other “liberal” cities.
The increasing deployment of troops in cities across the country isn’t only concerning to citizens across the country, it eerily resembles British rule before independence.
Over 240 years ago in 1775, Founding Father Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Speech to the Virginia Convention,” in which he criticized the presence of British troops in the colonies. Henry asked, “What means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission?” Just as Henry observed that the British troops were sent to subdue colonists into obedience, Trump’s deployment of troops represents a similar attempt to suppress dissent. It is clear that our president is betraying the fundamental American ideals of liberty and self-governance.
This isn’t the first time Trump has gone against American ideals. In an interview, he was asked whether he would uphold and support the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, which gives people rights when being prosecuted for a crime. His reply was very concerning.
“I don’t know. I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know,” said Trump.
Undermining the Constitution isn’t something that should be coming from the President. This should be unsettling for any American that values their rights.
Trump’s decision to deploy troops under the guise of fighting “domestic terrorism” is another step in the wrong direction. Instead of addressing real threats, the president deepens the division and fear of America. If this pattern of military deployment continues, not only will it be present in Los Angeles, but soldiers in cities could set a dangerous precedent that is akin to martial law. It is clear that the Trump administration is threatening the American freedom that defines the country.
Leave a Reply