Trump’s New Pentagon Buddy Might Actually Let Him Order Troops To Fire On American Citizens

It is unclear what, precisely, they can accomplish. Federal law prohibits them from arresting people unless Trump were to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act. While he has referred to the protesters as “insurrectionists” multiple times, he has not used his authority to declare the riot an “insurrection” against the United States, which would suggest that the participants are trying to overthrow the national government.

“Trump is just abusing his power,” Hirono said Monday. “At first, it’s the National Guard, without reference to the governor, and now that the Marines, what is he trying to prove that he is king. … It’s because he thinks that the rule of law doesn’t apply to him, and I think it’s a very dangerous precedent for him to be doing all of these things. So it’s just, who’s to stop him?”

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell blamed Newsom — whom Trump regularly calls “Newscum” in his remarks and social media posts — for the violence.

“Under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s feckless leadership, California’s state and local officials have actively subverted federal immigration laws, enabled so-called sanctuary cities, and refused to protect federal law enforcement officers,” Parnell told HuffPost. “Because of this leadership failure, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have stepped up to protect our communities from violent mobs. We have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers, even if Gavin Newsom will not.”