The Los Angeles Standoff: Trump, the Insurrection Act and Democracy on the Brink

This week on America’s Fractured Politics:

Troops in the streets. Governors overruled. The Insurrection Act dusted off for a new era.

Is Los Angeles under siege—or is American democracy itself the true target? Join us as we dive deep into President Trump’s unprecedented deployment of the military to Los Angeles, the legal and historical stakes, and what this moment means for the future of the republic.

Don’t miss “The Los Angeles Standoff: Trump, the Insurrection Act and Democracy on the Brink.”

Listen now—because democracy isn’t a spectator sport.

Transcript

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Welcome to America's Fractured Politics, the podcast where we dig deep into the headlines, expose the power plays, and ask what does it mean for our democracy? I'm Mark Mansour. Today's episode, occupation or Order, Trump the military and the battle for Los Angeles. Let's not mince words at this point. In Donald Trump's second term, we're no longer witnessing a presidency in the traditional sense. We're watching a hostile occupation of American democracy. A president who treats dissent as treason and the military as his personal security detail. Nowhere is this more clear than in his recent move to deploy National Guard troops, and for the first time in decades, active duty Marines to the streets of Los Angeles. This isn't just a show of force, it's the most naked display of Trump's authoritarian instinct. His willingness to use the tools of war against his own people, and a shameless flirtation with the Insurrection Act and martial law. To suppress, protest, in deflection of his own corruption. Let's set the scene. Over the past week, Los Angeles has been rocked by protests, sparked by sweeping ice raids, and the Trump administration's intensification of immigration enforcement. Thousands took to the streets demanding justice, chanting for immigrant rights, and yes, expressing their anger at a president whose policies they see as cruel and unjust. Were there moments of tension? Absolutely. Were there some clashes and arrests? Yes. Reports say about 39 people were arrested over a weekend of demonstrations, but was there an insurrection, a rebellion, anything remotely resembling a breakdown of civil order? No, not even close. The vast majority of protests were peaceful local officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom and the LAPD made it clear they had the situation under control. They did not request federal troops. They did not want the National Guard federalized, let alone Marines on standby. But for Donald Trump, that wasn't enough. He needed a crisis. He needed a reason to flex federal muscle and perhaps more importantly, to distract from mounting scandals and a faltering administration. So what did he do? He invoked a seldom used statute Title 10 of the US code to Federalize, the California National Guard. Over the explicit objections of the governor and local authorities. He ordered 2000 National Guard troops into Los Angeles with a memo authorizing up to 4,000 and placed 700 Marines on high alert, ready to deploy. Let's talk about the law. The President's authority to federalize the National Guard is rooted in the Insurrection Act of 1807 in Title 10 of the US Code. These laws are supposed to be used only in extreme circumstances. When there's an evasion, a rebellion, or when state authorities can't enforce federal law. But here's the thing, none of those conditions existed in Los Angeles. There was no invasion, no rebellion, no breakdown of local authority. Governor Newsom and Attorney General, Rob Bonta put it bluntly in their lawsuit, quote unquote, the unrest in Los Angeles is nowhere close to rising to the level of a rebellion. Beyond the capacity of the local state authorities to control. Let me be clear. There is no invasion. There is no rebellion. The president is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends. Federalizing, the California National Guard is an abuse of the President's authority under the law and not one we take lightly. That was California Attorney General. Rob Bonta, Newsom and Bonta are suing to block Trump's order. Arguing, it's an illegal takeover of the State's National Guard, a violation of state sovereignty and a dangerous precedent that puts every state at risk. So what are the troops actually doing in Los Angeles? According to the Pentagon, the National Guard's mission is to protect ice officials and other federal authorities and employees, as well as federal property. Marines, while present, have not yet been deployed to engage with protestors. But they're on standby. Trained for crowd management, but not authorized to make arrests, but photos from the ground tell a different story. National Guard troops have been seen sleeping on floors wildly unprepared for a mission that many never signed up for. Local law enforcement, including the LAPD Chief, say the military presence is complicating their ability to manage protests and maintain safety. And then there's the cost.$134 million according to Pentagon estimates. That's taxpayer money spent on a deployment that neither the city nor the state wanted justified by a crisis that doesn't exist. Let's be honest, this isn't about public safety, it's about political theater. Trump has long admired strong men who used the military to silence critics from Vladimir Putin to Rodrigo Duterte, and he's determined to bring that model home. His legal justification, the Insurrection Act. A dusty relic of early American law used sparingly and with caution during the Civil rights movement to protect black students or in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to stabilize a collapsing public order. But Trump's case doesn't remotely compare. The unrest in Los Angeles was being managed by local officials. No one asked for federal troops. No state of war existed. The only real crisis was political. A president mired in corruption desperate to change the narrative. Let's put this in context. Historically, the National Guard has been deployed to American cities only when local authorities are overwhelmed and request help. In 1992, during the LA riots, the governor asked for federal assistance in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. The same thing happened. In both cases. The state was in charge and the federal government acted as a partner, not an overlord. What Trump did here is different. He federalized the guard without the governor's consent. Effectively, nullifying Newsom's control over his own forces. This is unprecedented in modern American history, and it's not just about California. Trump's order applies to every state. If the president can override a governor and take control of a state's national guard whenever he sees fit, what's to stop him from doing it anywhere for any reason. There's a reason the United States has laws like the posse com Act passed in 1878. The military is not supposed to police American citizens. The founders understood the dangers of a standing army used for domestic control. That's why outside of the rear exceptions, the PI military is barred from engaging in law enforcement activities within the country. The National Guard, when under state control, can be used for emergencies, natural disasters, riots, et cetera. But when federalized, their mission is supposed to be limited, Marines and other active duty troops have even stricter limits. Using them to police Americans is a line that should not be crossed. But Trump is crossing that line, and in doing so, he's setting a dangerous precedent for the future. A political fallout, enablers, critics, and the public. How have political leaders responded? Republican leaders, by and large, have cheered Trump's decisive action. Instead of defending federalism, they smeared Californian leaders as weaken un-American instead of raising alarms about the use of Marines in a domestic policing role. They've either stayed silent or offered half-hearted legalistic justifications. Democrats, on the other hand, are sounding the alarm. Governor Newsom has called Trump's actions unnecessary and counterproductive, arguing that they're deeply unfair to the members of the National Guard who are hard at work every day protecting our state. But perhaps most striking is the response from the public. Many Americans see this for what it is. A manufactured crisis, a president desperate to appear strong and a dangerous step toward normalizing military involvement in domestic politics. Trump wants Americans to believe there's only one choice, military occupation or anarchy order or chaos, but that's a false choice. The real choice is between the rule of law and the rule of one man. Between democracy, accountability and unaccountable force between a country governed by its constitution or one ruled by eventual paranoid narcissist who believes the presidency is a license to dominate. We've seen this move before in Turkey and Hungary and Russia, authoritarians manufacture crises. Then use those crises to justify ever expanding power. It always starts the same way. A manufactured crisis, an emergency decree, troops in the streets, and it never ends the most dangerous thing about all of this is how quickly it becomes normal. Every time Trump invokes the specter of martial law, every time he sends troops, the blue states, without consent, he chips away at the foundation of civilian government, he normalizes the idea that federal military power can be used as a political weapon. And once that idea takes root, it's hard to uproot. Americans start to accept it. The media moves on, the outrage fades, and the next time it happens, it feels just a little less shocking. That's how democracies die, not all at once, but bit by bit as each new abuse becomes the new normal. You might be asking, where's Congress in all of this? Where are the courts? Congress, especially the Republican majority. Has abdicated its responsibility. The courts meanwhile are being asked to intervene. Governor Newsom's lawsuit is a test case, but even if they ruled against Trump, we'll enforce their orders against the president with the military at his back. This isn't just about Los Angeles, it's about the future of the republic. Let's not forget the cost. Deploying the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles will cost taxpayers$134 million money that could be spent on schools, healthcare, or infrastructure. But the real cost is harder to measure the erosion of trust in government, the normalization of military force and domestic politics, the chilling effect on free speech and protest, and for the soldiers themselves. Many of whom joined the guard to help their communities not to abused as political pawns. The cost is personal. As one observer put it, the Marines for their part are most likely wondering what the hell they're doing there. So are we, but here's the good news. Americans still have the power to resist. The Constitution is not self-enforcing. It requires people willing to stand up and defend it. History shows us that authoritarianism is not inevitable. In 1974, when Richard Nixon tried to subvert the rule of law, Congress and the courts pushed back in 2017 when Trump tried to implement a Muslim ban, Americans flooded the airports and the courts intervened. But the clock is ticking. Every day Trump is allowed to use the military as a political weapon. Every day that Congress and the courts fail to act, the foundation of our democracy grows weaker. So what can we do? First, we have to reject the false choice between chaos and authoritarianism. We have to insist on the rule of law, on democratic accountability, on the basic idea that no one, including the president is above the law. Second, we have to demand that our elected officials, Republican and Democrat alike, stand up for the Constitution. That means real oversight, real investigations, real consequences for abuse of power. Third, we have to stay engaged. Authoritarianism thrives on apathy. It thrives when people look away, when they decide it's someone else's problem. But democracy requires participation, it requires vigilance. And finally, we have to remember that the power of the people is greater than the people in power. We've seen it before during the Civil Rights Movement, during Watergate, during the protests of 2020. When Americans stand together, they can defend their democracy. Let me leave you with this. The future of the Republic is not yet written, but unless there is an intervention, unless Congress, the courts, and the American people act, Donald Trump will make his dreams of absolute power or reality. There is no Congress to stop him. No court able to enforce its rulings against him unless we demand it. He stands alone with his army of enablers ready to trash democracy. He simply has to be stopped. This isn't about Los Angeles. It's about who we are as a country and what kind of future we want to build. Will be a nation of laws, or a nation ruled by one man. The choices are ours. Thanks for listening to America's Fractured Politics. If you found today's episode thought provoking, share it with a friend, leave us a review, and most importantly, stay engaged. Democracy isn't a spectator sport. Until next time, I'm your host, mark Mansour. Stay vigilant, stay hopeful, and keep fighting the America you believe in.