A recent article in the New York Times suggests that a lot of people back Trump because they don’t believe he’ll do the outrageous things he proposes – like use the military against domestic protesters, and the “enemy within.” They believe this is all just an act to impress his supporters.
However, many of the people who know him best strongly believe that given his history, Trump will follow through. For example, this isn’t the first time Trump has suggested using the military against protesters.
According to a June 2021 story in The Hill, “aides to Trump … reportedly went so far as to draft an order that would have allowed him to invoke the Insurrection Act … but Barr, Esper and Milley later talked the president out of the plan.”
That meeting is highlighted in a book by Michael Bender. As recounted by The Hill, Retired General Mark Milley and Trump got into an extended shouting match on the subject following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Trump wanted to “put Milley in charge” of a nationwide campaign to crack down on protests. Trump planned to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act, and have Milley send active-duty Army troops to Washington DC to deal with protesters. Continue reading “No Guardrails in Trump’s Second Term”