In an op-ed published Monday, retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner, who previously served as acting vice chief of the National Guard, decried Trump’s deployments as “un-American.” Manner also argued that by using the National Guard to exercise his authority over cities mostly led by Democratic leaders, Trump is increasing distrust in the military and dividing the country.
Trump has justified his actions with lies about crime increasing, even as crime has gone down, and based much of his decision making on misleading footage aired on Fox News, which he watches obsessively.
The deployments in Washington, Los Angeles, and Memphis have met fierce opposition from Democratic leaders, including governors like JB Pritzker of Illinois and Gavin Newsom of California. Trump’s deployments in Portland and Chicago have been delayed due to court decisions. An escalation of his militaristic actions against American citizens is likely to attract a significant negative response. Click here to check out this story on DailyKos.com. |