Trump Slammed for Deploying Troops to LA without Consent

Critics call unprecedented military move a ‘turning point’ for democracy

President Donald Trump is facing a political firestorm after ordering thousands of federalized National Guard troops into Los Angeles without approval from California state officials—a move historians say hasn’t been seen since the height of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

The president’s decision to override Governor Gavin Newsom and seize command of the California National Guard has drawn sharp rebukes from civil rights leaders, legal experts, and Democratic lawmakers, many of whom warn the country is sliding toward authoritarianism.

“This is a textbook authoritarian power grab,” said Senator Bernie Sanders during a live interview on CNN. “You do not send in the military against your own citizens without state permission. This isn’t law and order—it’s tyranny.”

The White House says the deployment was triggered by ongoing protests against ICE raids across Southern California, which flared into tense confrontations between demonstrators and federal agents earlier this week. According to the Trump administration, 2,000 troops have already been deployed to “restore order.”

But Governor Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and local law enforcement officials all say the situation was under control—and they never asked for military support.

“This president thrives on conflict,” Newsom said at a press conference Saturday night. “This is a deliberately provocative move meant to intimidate Californians and distract from his failures at the border and in the economy. He is turning American cities into political battlegrounds.”

A Chilling Historical Echo

The last time a president unilaterally took control of a state’s National Guard was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to Alabama to protect civil rights activists. But this time, critics argue, the comparison falls apart.

“This isn’t about protecting rights. It’s about suppressing them,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, constitutional law expert and dean of UC Berkeley School of Law. “Deploying the military without a state’s consent to crush dissent is not just illegal—it’s dangerous.”

Chemerinsky said it sends an unmistakable message: “This administration is willing to use the military as a political weapon.”

Roman Palomares, chairman of the Latino civil rights group LULAC, called it “a page out of a dictator’s playbook,” adding, “This isn’t just about California. If Trump can override one governor, he can override any of them.”

‘He Always Wanted This’

Even figures once aligned with Trump are sounding alarms.

“This is the most overtly authoritarian action we’ve seen from him,” said Miles Taylor, a former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security under Trump. “During his first term, there were constant fears that he’d deploy troops to crush protests and install a national police state. This may be the first real step toward that vision.”

Taylor, who made headlines in 2020 for anonymously warning about Trump’s leadership from inside the administration, said the federalization of California’s guard is a “watershed moment in American governance.”

“He’s not hiding it anymore,” Taylor said on MSNBC. “This is about control.”

‘A Wannabe Dictator’

Democratic lawmakers wasted no time calling out the move.

“Trump isn’t trying to hide who he is anymore,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “This is how dictators behave.”

Senator Adam Schiff of California echoed the concern: “If National Guard troops are necessary, the governor will ask. For the president to act unilaterally—against the will of state and local officials—undermines democracy and sets a terrifying precedent.”

On social media, Trump dismissed the backlash, referring to protesters as “paid agitators” and “Radical Left mobs,” while boasting that “RIOTS & LOOTERS” would be dealt with the “way it should be solved.”

He also took a direct swipe at Newsom and Mayor Bass: “If Governor Gavin Newscum and Mayor Karen Bass can’t do their jobs, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem!”

Legal Experts Warn of Crisis

The legality of Trump’s deployment remains murky. Normally, the president can federalize the National Guard under the Insurrection Act, but experts say such a move is typically done in consultation with state leaders—or during widespread violence.

Neither condition appears to apply here.

“There’s no insurrection in Los Angeles,” said Chemerinsky. “This isn’t a riot. This is a protest. The danger here isn’t to property—it’s to democracy itself.”

Civil rights groups are reportedly preparing legal action to challenge the deployment, with the ACLU calling the move “a brazen and unconstitutional abuse of power.”

The Bigger Picture

The deployment comes amid Trump’s escalating rhetoric around immigration and law enforcement. In recent weeks, ICE has ramped up its operations in sanctuary cities, leading to large protests, mass detentions, and mounting fear in immigrant communities.

“We’re not just witnessing a crackdown on protesters—we’re watching the criminalization of dissent,” said Clarissa Jiménez, an immigration attorney in Los Angeles. “This is about sending a message: if you resist, we’ll bring the troops.”

As helicopters thud overhead and armed guards patrol parts of South L.A., one thing is clear: this isn’t business as usual.

And for many, it’s a glimpse of the future under a second Trump presidency—one defined not by compromise or democracy, but by force.