Maddow Blog-'Bring in the troops!': Trump raises the stakes as ICE tactics spark protests in L.A.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Last year, many wondered whether Trump might be willing to use military resources to stifle dissent. Those fears are relevant anew.

Remember last fall, when Trump talked about the possible deployment of military resources on American soil to be used against those he labeled “the enemy from within?” And the right said not to worry too much about it?

His pre-election comments are relevant anew. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-06-09T12:09:48.471Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/bring-troops-trump-raises-stakes-ice-tactics-spark-protests-l-rcna211770

For those concerned about Donald Trump and his authoritarian-style agenda, the last few days have been, at a minimum, unsettling. On the East Coast, for example, military vehicles, including tanks, are getting into position to roll down the streets of the nation’s capital, for a June 14 military parade to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army — which also happens to coincide with Donald Trump’s birthday.

And then, of course, there’s the West Coast. As The Associated Press summarized:

Tensions in Los Angeles escalated Sunday as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to President Donald Trump’s extraordinary deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd.

In recent months, federal officials, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, have engaged in overly aggressive and legally dubious tactics while executing the White House’s deportation agenda, sparking a predictable public backlash. As NBC News reported, it was against this backdrop that ICE officers on Friday carried out raids in three locations across the city, where dozens of people were taken into custody.......

Shortly after midnight, on Monday morning, Trump also wrote online, “Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” He similarly told reporters that he expects to have U.S. troops “everywhere.”

https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:iu4j537hox5huj4bwnwgub4z/post/3lr4t6oxb3u2z

Link to tweet

......A few weeks before Election Day 2024, as he referred to Americans he disagreed with as “scum,” then-candidate Trump talked about the possible deployment of the National Guard or the U.S. military on American soil to be used against those he labeled “the enemy from within.”

At the time, it led many to wonder whether Trump, if returned to power, might be willing to use — or in this case, abuse — military resources to stifle dissent. Republicans characterized such concerns as hysterical and paranoid.

Eight months later, those fears are suddenly relevant anew.