Trump Is Waging War On His Own Country

"He told the hundreds of generals and admirals gathered to hear him that some of them would be called upon to take a primary role at a time when his administration has launched occupations of American cities, deployed tens of thousands of troops across the United States, created a framework for targeting domestic enemies, cast his political rivals as subhuman, and asserted his right to wage secret war and summarily execute those he deems terrorists."

"Trump used that bizarre speech to take aim at cities he claimed "are run by the radical left Democrats," including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. "We're going to straighten them out one by one. And this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room," he said. "That's a war too. It's a war from within." He then added: "We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military.""

The presidency has authorized domestic military deployments, occupations of U.S. cities, and tens of thousands of troops deployed across the country. The administration has developed mechanisms for identifying and targeting domestic enemies while dehumanizing political rivals and asserting powers that include secret warfare and summary executions. The president publicly described certain cities as controlled by political opponents and suggested using them as military training grounds, while federalized National Guard deployments have occurred over state objections and faced legal challenges. These actions expand the role of armed forces in domestic affairs and raise serious threats to civil liberties and democratic norms.

Read at The Nation