Trump's plan to create Guard units to quell civil unrest alarms experts
Source: ABC News
August 25, 2025, 6:52 PM
President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the Pentagon to create National Guard units in Washington, D.C., and across the country that would be designated to tamp down civil protests and ensure public safety -- a job that historically and legally has belonged to civilian law enforcement.
Critics called Trump's desire to build a kind of rapid "reaction force" for civil unrest alarming, insisting his order pushes legal boundaries for the National Guard, an auxiliary force whose mission is to help fight foreign enemies abroad or aid Americans in times of extraordinary crisis like hurricanes and floods.
In an executive order signed Monday, Trump called on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to designate Army and Air National Guard members in each state who could rapidly deploy to help federal, state and local law enforcement "in quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order whenever the circumstances necessitate, as appropriate under the law."
The order also called on Hegseth to begin immediately training and equipping a "specialized unit" within the D.C. National Guard "that is dedicated to ensuring public safety and order in the Nation's Capitol." The order says members of the unit would be "deputized" to enforce federal law.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trumps-calls-guard-units-tasked-quell-civil-unrest/story?id=124962350

underpants
(192,605 posts)Lovie777
(19,996 posts)money because I believe he has damn near sucked 150 billion up into several GQP's pockets including his too.
Rhiannon12866
(241,995 posts)

underpants
(192,605 posts)NotHardly
(2,148 posts)twodogsbarking
(15,467 posts)IronLionZion
(49,796 posts)as an excuse to inflict violence on Americans and probably stop people from voting in the next elections.
Paladin
(31,519 posts)I wish it were otherwise, but I'm coming around to feeling that nothing's going to get any better until we take to the streets, coast-to-coast, and demand the re-establishment of our democracy. Ugly, but necessary. It's on the American public to end this nightmare---no way in hell are our politicians or our chickenshit media going to save us.
IronLionZion
(49,796 posts)the small ones are going to get it hard.
Paladin
(31,519 posts)Like all bullies, trump and his goons are actually cowards. They need to be revealed as such, to the extent that even their moronic followers can't support them anymore.
EndlessWire
(8,078 posts)slightlv
(6,511 posts)in all states nationwide- not just a "march on Washington", for example. Most people can't take enough time off work to plan a trip to DC, participate, and get back to work. Also, many more than that simply can't afford it, regardless of the transportation type they use.
More than anything, however, we would need media to actually COVER these nationwide protests! And this is what is our downfall. We had great participation on "No Kings" protests, but actually very little coverage. The media has been bought, paid for, or cowed into submission where showing news not approved by the dictator is concerned.
mopinko
(72,908 posts)i wonder how long it will take for enlistment in the guard, particularly, to tank.
the army is already struggling to fill boots. is he gonna start drafting ppl for his goon forces?
slightlv
(6,511 posts)of the National Guard is doing to the guardsmen, their families, or their jobs.
LeftinOH
(5,575 posts)Maine-i-ac
(1,526 posts)republianmushroom
(21,234 posts)all he has to do is die.
Martin68
(26,409 posts)Martin68
(26,409 posts)in the early days of the Republic. The irony is that Trump refused to call in the National Guard to quell his own insurrection, but is planning to use the NG prevent legal peaceful public demonstrations against his policies.
artemisia1
(1,115 posts)mkp
(22 posts)I'll bet Mexico wishes Greenland would pay it for them
orangecrush
(26,447 posts)"Chilling"
"Concerning"
Call it everything but what it is.