Dear John,
Every governor must protect their people from Trump’s “War From Within.”
Donald Trump is using the National Guard as a weapon against the American people, to advance his so-called “War from Within.” And while nearly every Republican governor has already helped him do it, every governor in America — red and blue alike — now faces the same defining choice:
Will you defend the people of your state, or surrender them to Trump’s militarized campaign of control?
In 19 states to date, National Guard units are being used to assist ICE operations against civilians. Two more red states have deployed troops to Washington, D.C., and another two have sent forces to the southern border — all part of Trump’s push to turn U.S. soldiers into domestic enforcers. Out of 27 Republican-led states, 23 have already joined this campaign.
But Trump’s occupation doesn’t stop at state lines. His administration is deploying National Guard units from certain states into other states that never requested them and do not want them. This is an outrageous attack on state sovereignty that every governor has both the power and the obligation to resist.
Under the law, each state’s National Guard remains under its governor’s control except in narrowly defined legal circumstances. This means governors can — and must — refuse illegal orders, sue to block unauthorized deployments, and protect their citizens from federal overreach.
Tell your governor: Don’t deploy. Don’t comply. Stand strong against Trump’s “War From Within” now!
This is not a partisan issue. It’s a test of leadership, patriotism, and courage.
Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, your duty is to your people — not to Donald Trump.
Across the nation, Americans are facing violence at the hands of troops who swore to defend them. In Los Angeles, DHS agents and National Guard soldiers fired “less lethal” bullets and pepper spray at peaceful demonstrators — even shooting an Australian journalist live on air. In Chicago, an unarmed pastor praying with his hands raised was hit seven times by blunt impact chemical munitions fired from a rooftop — including twice in the head.
Trump has made clear that his actions are based on profoundly anti-American assumptions. In his September speech to military leaders, he laid out his plan for an authoritarian crackdown — describing a “war from within” and calling on commanders to use so-called “dangerous cities” as “training grounds for our military.”
This is no way to guarantee the public’s safety. This is the language of a would-be dictator, casting the American people as his enemies and the National Guard as his personal army.
Every governor — in red states and blue states — must now decide: Will you stand up for your people and defend your state’s sovereignty, or will you allow Trump to turn your streets into occupied zones?
Thank you for impressing your governor with the urgency of this situation.
Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action
