International Man: Donald Trump has already deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington, DC, and threatened to send them into more cities.
Is this a legitimate use of executive power, or a dangerous escalation?
Doug Casey: Once upon a time, that wouldn’t even have been a question, because the Posse Comitatus Act used to be taken seriously. It basically holds that the US military can’t be used for domestic law enforcement. But the government has violated the tradition of not using the military at home from time to time.
For instance, in 1932, the Bonus Marchers—thousands of World War I veterans—came to Washington, D.C., asking for the bonus that had been promised because of their service. Herbert Hoover called out the army under Douglas MacArthur to disperse them. Then, in 1957, Dwight Eisenhower called out the National Guard in Little Rock to integrate the schools.
My understanding of the law is that the president only has the power to use the National Guard in Washington, D.C., since it is not a state but an entity the president directly controls. So Trump’s calling out the Guard in D.C. is different from his doing so elsewhere.
It’s a question of states’ rights versus those of the federal government, and what happens when those powers overlap. This was a major issue in the War Between the States.
States’ rights is one more issue making the US a tinderbox; the governments of blue states and cities can be relied on to resist Trump for any and every reason. Across the country, red people and blue people are barely able to talk to each other. Some really hate each other. The enthusiasm many Wokesters and leftists showed for the assassination of Charlie Kirk was evidence of that. As was the media’s suppression of Iryna Zarutska’s murder in Charlotte by a black career criminal who was released by an affirmative action female judge. It tells me we are on the cusp of something like a civil war in the US. I’ve been talking about it for 10 years, but now it’s starting to feel real.
International Man: In your view, what does Trump’s decision signal about the balance of power between Washington and local governments?
Doug Casey: Clearly, Donald revels in controlling the apparatus of the State. I think he’s acting in a very autocratic manner for two reasons. One, he believes—probably correctly—that if he doesn’t break the back of Marxism, Wokeism, and domestic anti-Americanism now, that whatever’s left of the idea of America is dead. Two, he knows that if he doesn’t totally defang his enemies now, come 2028, they’re going to bankrupt and likely imprison him.
This is the way things work in Banana Republics. Or countries on the cusp of real crises. The cat’s out of the bag. The US is transforming, for many reasons, and it’s not going back to the good old days anytime soon.
This is not the first time that a president has made himself into a “strong man.” Lincoln did it from 1861 to 1865. Wilson did it with WW1. When F.D.R. took the reins in 1933, he became a veritable dictator in many ways—setting up numerous permanent authoritarian bureaucracies, confiscating gold, closing thousands of banks, and much more. I think Donald sees himself as a reincarnation of those presidents. Donald’s sticking his nose into everything and his authoritarian attitudes are not unprecedented in US history.
His tariffs are a lot more dangerous than most people think, however. The War Between the States is said to have been about slavery. But that was mostly an issue between intellectuals and moralists. Lincoln himself said many times that his aim was to maintain the Union, not abolish slavery. The big issue wasn’t slavery itself, but limiting its expansion. Tariffs affected the southern states vastly more than the northern states.
Tariffs covered most of the government’s expenses, which meant the South was paying most of the cost of the US government. Tariffs practically forced them to buy inferior, costlier Northern goods, as opposed to those from Europe. In addition, the tariffs reduced the amounts Europeans could afford to buy from the South. What I’m saying is that the South wanted out of the Union for real economic reasons, not ideological ones.
My feeling is that, for similar reasons, we’re going to see movements toward secession. Sanctuary cities are a step in that direction, where local laws supersede national laws. Washington is, of course, opposed to that.
International Man: Some argue the National Guard is protecting “public safety,” while others say it tramples on the liberty of American citizens. How do you weigh security against individual rights in this situation?
Doug Casey: Law enforcement has traditionally been left to local police and sheriffs in the US. It’s not, with a few exceptions, a Constitutional mandate of the federal government. So, using the National Guard to enforce law and order is going over a line.
This really started in earnest after Vietnam and subsequent wars. Loads of spare military equipment were dispensed to police forces. SWAT units, especially, have been up-armored to US military standards.
Police forces prefer hiring ex-military personnel, as well, which is another ominous trend. The military is trained and psychologically oriented to interact differently with the public than police forces. We’re moving into the world of Robocop.
International Man: When leaders in other countries deploy national troops domestically, it’s often seen as a step toward militarization of politics. Do you think the US has now crossed that line?
Doug Casey: The US government is increasingly out of control, with more laws regulating everything at every level. The State has become cancerous. And Trump is accelerating that trend by using it for “good” reasons; the next administration will accelerate the state’s growth for equally “good” reasons, but against different parts of the population. As the federal government becomes more involved in people’s lives, more people will push back against it.
Using the National Guard and perhaps even the US military domestically is very dangerous. They’re State employees. They must follow orders, both because they’ve taken an oath to do so and because they want to collect their salary.
Cops and guardsmen have mortgages, car payments, student loans, credit card debt, and expenses. They can’t afford to lose their jobs. So they’ll pretty much do as they’re told, which is a dangerous and unfortunate situation.
International Man: What is the ultimate sociopolitical trend at play here, where is it heading, and what can people do about it?
Doug Casey: People have forgotten that “America” isn’t a country, so much as an idea. An excellent and unique idea, based on free thought, free speech, and free markets. It took root here 250 years ago.
Unfortunately, the essence of America has been greatly degraded and weakened over the years.
What can you do about it? Trying to change the world at large doesn’t make much sense. Instead, remember that charity begins at home. Make sure your own character, abilities, and finances are in order before you get involved in slaying dragons. That’s why I wrote The Preparation (link) with Matt Smith.
But that’s another story…
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