Trump 'Removes' National Guard, Forgetting How They Got There
When Al Jazeera breathlessly reports on Trump's decision to 'remove' the National Guard from Chicago, LA, and Portland, they frame it as backtracking due to 'legal setbacks.' (Al Jazeera, 2025/12/31). This conveniently glosses over the fact that these deployments were largely in response to protests against police brutality, not a sudden inability of local law enforcement to function. The Guard’s
initial deployment was an inflammatory political stunt, not a necessity. One might recall similar cynical military mobilizations, such as the frequent, unsubstantiated claims of 'caravans' at the border, often deployed just before elections. Trump's vague threat of their 'return when crime begins to soar' sounds less like a public safety strategy and more like a pre-announced, future political
opportunity for another show of 'law and order.' It’s the same playbook: conjure a crisis, deploy visible force, claim victory, then withdraw, leaving the option open for a repeat performance. The media simply reports the 'removal,' ignoring the manufactured premise of their presence.