Staff Reports
In the latest political episode, former President Donald Trump is already making waves for the 2024 presidential race. While gracing the stage in Iowa, the ex-commander in chief stated that during his time in office, he was held back from utilizing the military to squash the chaos in mostly Democratic territory.
Trump hints at expanded role for the military within the US | AP News https://t.co/9qjeE47uIG
— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@acoyne) November 27, 2023
Pointing fingers at New York City and Chicago as “crime dens,” Trump vowed, “Next time, I won’t sit around. One of the things I did was let them try and run the show, and we’re going to demonstrate what a lousy job they’re doing,” and added, “We did that. We don’t have to wait any longer.”
Trump hasn’t fully elaborated on his military game plan for a second term, yet he and his comrades have hinted at having a broad green light to pull in troops. While using the military frequently inside the country’s borders would be quite the departure from the norm, the former president has already signaled an assertive agenda if he returns, from large-scale deportations to travel restrictions imposed on select Muslim-majority nations.
An old-time law from the early days of the nation, the Insurrection Act, could grant Trump as commander in chief nearly complete authority to do so, say military and legal specialists in a series of talks. The act enables presidents to summon reserve or active-duty military forces to tackle unrest in the states, without review by the courts. The sole condition is essentially that the president needs to ask the troublemakers to scatter.
Joseph Nunn of the Brennan Center for Justice, an expert in national security, believes that the restriction on the president’s use of the Insurrection Act mainly comes down to politics, as past presidents have avoided rolling tanks down Main Street. With not much in the law to hold back the president’s hand, the only thing standing in the commander in chief’s way is the court of public opinion.
A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign hasn’t hurled a response, yet Trump has made no secret of his plans to use the military at the border and in cities wrestling with violent crime. His strategy also includes involving the military against foreign drug gangs, a perspective backed by other Republican contenders like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley.
The prospect of invoking the Insurrection Act and dispatching the military for domestic policing could trigger resistance from the Pentagon, with Gen. Charles Q. Brown, the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, being one of those who signed a memo reprimanding the events of January 6, 2021, as “sedition and insurrection.”
All in all, Trump’s buzz for the next election, including his potential tactics, has ignited debates about the implications for military oaths, presidential power, and who Trump could appoint to back his approach. Considering his past accomplishments, or failures for Trump’s opponents, it’s sure to be a fascinating, or dramatic episode leading up to the 2024 election.
