News & Articles

“All leaders, military and civilian, must remember their oath: loyalty to the Constitution, not to any man. Illegal orders must be resisted.” William Astore (Lt. Col. USAF, retired).

Trump is, “...exploiting his authority as commander-in-chief to try to convert the armed forces of the United States into a personal instrument for enforcing domestic order. Allow this effort to succeed and the constitutional order created in Philadelphia in 1787 will cease to exist.” Andrew J. Bacevich (Col. US Army, retired) writing in 2020.

“Veterans For Peace stands opposed to racist violence in our communities. Behind the masks and lies of the Trump administration we see the face of White Supremacy and a growing trend of domestic repression. As the old warning goes: First they came for the immigrants and communities of color…” From VFP’s press statement.

“If the president of the United States threatening a U.S. city with ‘war’ is not a red line for constitutional democracy, then nothing is.” Andrew Lanham, a legal and cultural historian

“As the founders emphasized, domestic deployment of troops should be reserved for rare, extreme emergencies as a last resort...” Hina Shamsi, Director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) National Security Project.

Trump refuses to acknowledge any limits on his authority as president. He is clearly acting as a dictator and his use of military troops for domestic police work is proof. His actions are clearly illegal, unconstitutional and a threat to democracy. 

Congress and the courts are failing to stop him. But many people, veterans organizations and civil liberties groups are speaking out and taking action to stop this abuse of power.

The president’s powers as commander-in-chief are extensive (and often abused) but they are not absolute. Congress has sole authority to declare wars, control funding, investigate corruption and abuses, and pass laws to restrict the President’s actions (like the War Powers Act).

The military exists to prevent or deter wars (at least in theory) and to fight wars in other countries. Domestic use has been reserved for emergencies and natural disasters. Trump has been ignoring all these these legal requirements.

Trump’s use of the National Guard and active military for domestic policing is an authoritarian power grab. It has nothing to do with any actual emergency, alleged crime wave or public safety. It’s about consolidating his control, intimidating his opponents or protesters and bullying Democratic cities (especially with Black leaders). He is normalizing the presence of troops in cities in preparation for future, more draconian, actions to shut down resistance and interfere with election results.

Military personnel have responsibilities to act lawfully. According to the ACLU, “federal agents and military troops are bound by the Constitution, and must uphold our rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of speech, due process and safeguards against unlawful searches and seizures.”

The military also has codes of conduct, the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Geneva Conventions which control their behavior. Military service members can and have a responsibility to refuse orders that are illegal. Claiming you were just following orders is not a defense for individuals breaking the law (the Nuremberg war crime trials after WW2 established this principle). So Trump’s illegal use of troops can put service members in legal jeopardy.

At some point the military, especially the high ranking officers, will need to refuse orders from this president. This is why Trump and Hegseth are purging officers that are not on board with “the president’s agenda.” But all service members (including the National Guard) swear an oath to defend the Constitution not the president’s political agenda. Our military is strictly non-political. But this tradition, like many other accepted norms of behavior, means nothing to Trump.

As is seen in his use of the Department of Justice to punish his perceived opponents, Trump is politicizing law enforcement. Professor Lanham wrote about the politicizing, and militarizing, of law enforcement in his excellent article cited below. I recommend reading it.

Dictators throughout history have used the military to seize power, maintain control, create fear and suppress opposition. Fighting crime, public safety and cleansing the country of various scapegoats – racial or ethnic groups – have been the usual justifications. We see all these elements in Trump’s actions and agenda.

Andrew Lanham warns us, ”If we let that happen...there will not be any meaningful constitutional democracy left in the United States, only a war machine directed at the president’s personal enemies. And once we have gone down that road, it’s hard to see how we’ll find the way back.”

So what can we do to fight back? As the quotes above show many people and groups are speaking out and taking action.

Veterans are beginning to refuse orders to deploy to cities. Retired officers have joined lawsuits to stop the use of the military for domestic policing. Veterans groups are joining protests and organizing peaceful actions. 

The GI Rights Hotline has good advise and free counseling for service members contemplating resisting orders or seeking discharge. See https://girightshotline.org or call 1-877-4487.

The ACLU has a tool for writing to your congressman or senator. Access it by searching for “Tell Congress: No Troops on Our Streets ACLU.” 

A critical action is for many people to get in the face of their elected representatives. This must include Republicans like Tom Tiffany and Pete Stauber. For them to change their harmful positions they must fear the wrath of their constituents more than Trump’s retribution. This requires thousands of people repeatedly contacting them to oppose Trump’s agenda.

Keep on protesting. Grow the movement by talking with your friends, neighbors and family. The most powerful tool we have to combat authoritarianism is to make sure defiance is everywhere, growing and visible in our communities.

The ACLU says “...regardless of whether the president cites false crime statistics, villainizes immigrants, or claims peaceful protest is insurrection, sending armed federal agents and military troops into our communities is unjustified and dangerous.” We, the people, are the only guardrail left. If we don’t act, democracy dies.

Additional reading and resources:
“How to Resist Trump’s Militarization of America,” Andrew Lanham, The New Republic, September 9, 2025.
“The Militarization of American Cities is Underway, Starting with DC,” a guide to action from Indivisible, a non-partisan activist organization.
“Know Your Rights” from the ACLU covers many issues including reacting to militarized policing.
“Choosing Resistance: A Brief Guide for Local Action Against National Guard and Federal Law Enforcement Deployments,” National Police Accountability Project.