Trump’s objective: create chaos, suspend elections

A few months ago Donald Trump sent National Guard troops into Los Angeles, ostensibly to quell disturbances. The Mayor of Los Angeles and governor of California said this federal intervention was unnecessary, wasteful and disruptive. More recently Donald Trump sent National Guard troops to D.C. in order “to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.” In fact, crime in the capital “is the lowest it has been in over 30 years,” according to the Metropolitan Police Department included in a Jan. 3 statement by the Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Additionally, Trump issued a memorandum to Pete Hegseth directing him to deploy National Guard troops in Washington and authorizing him to coordinate with other governors to utilize their states’ National Guards as well. What is the overall objective here? To create chaos, declare a national emergency as a consequence of the manufactured chaos, declare martial law and suspend the 2026 national elections, all with use of National Guard troops under Trump’s control.

Ralph Cap

Iowa City