Mobilisation Normalisation: Trump’s Military Takeover Dream for the United States

It’s been some time since I last touched upon the United States, due to the immense speed at which the Trump Administration is moving to consolidate power and effectively weaponise the executive branch. It is with the deepest chagrin that I am back once again to discuss the further abuse of the people of the United States and its autonomy as a democracy. The recent deployment of the National Guard to DC has been somewhat of a fever dream for its residents and the Metropolitan Police Department, as soldiers walk the streets to stop the alleged crime wave that Donald Trump has cited. According to police statistics and Mayor Muriel Bowser, the Capital has seen a 50-year low of crime, showing a seven percent decrease from 2024 to 2025. Trump’s turbulent relationship with Washington and its residents has raised concerns for some alarm, as this takeover seems to imply the regular use of the military against the public. While this has not been the only display of force by the Trump Administration, as we have seen in Los Angeles, we are in danger of setting a disturbing precedent of Donald Trump disregarding the rule of law to a greater degree.

Certainly an expert on the topic, Maj. Gen. Randy Manner (Ret.) was interviewed by PBS to discuss the recent decision by the administration to make the National Guard readily available across the United States in case of “civil disturbances.” As acting vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, Manner made it quite clear that the National Guard is controlled by the Governor of their corresponding states to be readily deployed, more traditionally in the wake of natural disasters. The stark reminder at hand is that no governor has asked for help from the Oval Office, nor will most, especially in the case of blue cities that have recently come under flak for the fictitious surging crime wave Trump would like his followers to fear. The obsession that the administration has with militarising cities and exerting its executive power demonstrates a real threat to our democracy. It goes without saying that this is not the United States that I grew up in, where the military is deployed to cities and towns, and we reward unidentifiable masked thugs in vans. The real troublesome aspect of this is not the military itself, but rather the implication that our cities require armed service members patrolling, while crime is falling in many cities across the United States. 

In continuum with the theme of unhinged big stick diplomacy, Pete Hegseth has once again displayed his immense ineptitude to be anywhere near a government building with his fawning over Trump’s idea to rename the Department of Defense to the Department of War. As someone who has lived through the lessons of the pro-war right or “war hawks” from the War in Iraq, it is frankly disappointing to see the lack of care surrounding the United States not engaging in further conflict. I find the most issues with Hegseth’s desire for a “warrior ethos” in what he has classified as a “woke” military under the previous administration.  Perhaps the former Fox News host has never learned about the sorrow of war through Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. As the protagonist, Paul, returns home from the brutality of the trenches, he finds the war-mongering sentiments of the “barstool generals” to be painful and unrealistic. The 20^th century is our best lesson at present on how we should carry ourselves globally, to understand that the very real sacrifices made during multiple wars and decades of economic cooperation were made purposefully to protect our global hegemony. A Department of War would absolutely be a reversal of progress for international cooperation, and in return would display the quite unnecessary “offense” as the president stated. 

The military aside, what frightens me the most is the lack of action by Trump’s opposition in the United States. Many conservatives have decided that, though he isn’t their first choice, he is a republican nonetheless, and they will follow suit. Democrats have expressed disdain in such a way that is almost aloof in nature, never really giving tangible responses to Trump’s actions. Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, has been the most recent successful critic, mocking Trump via X in his large print, raging infantile fashion. As following the moral high road of simply disagreeing with Trump has proved repeatedly ineffective, Newsom is effectively highlighting Trump’s ridiculousness with this tactic that has MAGA folks losing their heads or not understanding at all. Although quite humorous in appearance, it certainly captures the attention of the administration and may prove to embolden further dissent from other governors across the United States. As we can learn from the Weimar Republic of the 1930s, “No democratic institution is self-enforcing,” meaning we can’t let our democracy erode even though it may seem like we can repair the damage later. Trump is irreparably harming the economy, foreign policy, and, worst of all,  the status quo of American politics. As former German Chancellor Franz von Papen vitally misunderstood, you cannot appease authoritarianism because it is a zero-sum game. Authoritarians will consolidate power or die trying, as there is no going back from absolute power.

Imperatively, we must look at the victories on the side of democracy, as they maintain the momentum of action in the system. Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is fighting back against Trump’s weak attempts to fire her on the extremely weak basis of mortgage fraud, which multiple lawyers have ruled out. Lisa maintains the importance of the Fed’s autonomy from the executive branch, regardless of what the president may want to do with interest rates. It will take staunch advocates of the rule of law to stand firm in the swaying pendulum of authoritarianism being dangled over the United States right now. Even the protection of our rights by leaders like Zohran Mamdani may change the tide of the political climate in favour of a United States for its citizens rather than the militaristic demagogues at the top. I am hopeful that folks across the board will understand and resist the real havoc that Donald Trump is wreaking on the United States, from anti-big government conservatives to zero-carbon democrats: this is a bipartisan problem. I am hoping for strong governors and other local leaders to stand tall in the face of Trump’s dizzying attempts to consolidate power by weaponising our nation’s military. A free nation should never fear its own military, and it’s high time we say enough is enough to this autocrat.

Illustration: Will Allen/Europinion