Trump’s Insurrection Act Threat Escalates Clash With Democratic Cities
President Donald Trump has intensified his confrontation with Democratic-led cities by threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act, a centuries-old federal law that allows the use of military forces within the United States. The move comes as hundreds of National Guard troops from Texas prepared on Tuesday to patrol the streets of Chicago, deepening the legal standoff between the White House and state leaders.
Trump told reporters on Monday that he would consider using the Insurrection Act to override court rulings or local objections that could restrict his orders.
“We have an Insurrection Act for a reason,” Trump said. “If people were being killed and courts or governors were holding us up, sure, I’d do that.”
The Insurrection Act, passed more than 200 years ago, grants the president authority to deploy the military in times of domestic unrest. Historically, it has been used sparingly and almost always at the request of state governors. The last president to invoke it was George H.W. Bush during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
If enforced, Trump’s decision would mark a major escalation in his push to send federal troops into Democratic strongholds — an unprecedented assertion of presidential power. In a recent speech to top military commanders, Trump even suggested using U.S. cities as “training grounds” for the armed forces.
Over the past weeks, the president has ordered National Guard deployments to Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., despite opposition from Democratic governors and mayors. Local leaders argue that Trump’s claims of violence and lawlessness do not reflect the current reality, noting that protests in Chicago and Portland over his immigration policies have been largely peaceful and that violent crime has dropped this year.
Tensions rose over the weekend as clashes erupted between protesters and federal agents using tear gas and other crowd-control tactics. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker accused Trump of deliberately trying to incite unrest to justify military action.
“Donald Trump is using our service members as political props and pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our cities,” Pritzker said Monday.
In response, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to block the federalization of 300 Illinois Guard troops and the deployment of 400 from Texas. During a court hearing, Justice Department lawyers confirmed that the Texas troops were already en route to Illinois.
Judge April Perry allowed the deployment to continue temporarily but ordered the administration to submit a written response by Wednesday. Meanwhile, in Oregon, a federal judge temporarily halted the deployment of Guard troops to Portland.
The National Guard operates primarily under state authority, responding to emergencies such as natural disasters. However, under the Insurrection Act, the president can federalize these forces, bypassing state control. While the Posse Comitatus Act typically prohibits military involvement in domestic law enforcement, the Insurrection Act serves as an exception, creating a complex legal and political challenge for the administration.
