Democrats and media personalities have worked overtime — especially in recent weeks — to paint members of the United States Army National Guard as the bad guys, even as domestic terrorists.
Their complaints stem largely from President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard to defend federal agents and property — as he did when rioters attacked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Los Angeles — and aid in assisting local authorities in their efforts to reduce rampant crime. And in their commentary, they’ve accused members of the U.S. military of using “authoritarian” tactics, and sitting members of Congress have repeatedly fomented the fear that service members might open fire on civilians.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA), for example, claimed in late October that Trump was fabricating emergencies in order to bring in the National Guard, which would then do his bidding and keep the people under control. The move, he said, was straight out of the “authoritarian playbook” or the “dictator’s handbook.”
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) went out to an ICE facility and taunted the troops standing guard, demanding to know whether they intended to shoot her.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, during a book tour stop in Portland, took a moment to weigh in on the fact that National Guard troops had been deployed to protect an ICE facility from rioters. She claimed that their efforts, at Trump’s direction, amounted to an “abhorrent assault on constitutional values and principles.”
Governor JB Pritzker (D-IL) said that deployment of the National Guard amounted to an “attack on the American people” and claimed that Trump would use members of the military to “stop the 2026 elections.”
The hosts of ABC’s “The View” made a similar prediction, claiming that the use of the National Guard was a strategic effort to prevent the next elections from happening.
“This is a pretext to stop the next election. That’s what I think it is,” Behar said — and cohost Sara Haines insisted that she’d not seen evidence of violence against ICE.
“And if they stop us from voting, that’s the one thing people have,” Behar added. “I think people will figure out how to vote.”
And of course, just days before two National Guard troops were shot near the White House, six Democrats released a video insinuating that Trump either had or would issue unlawful orders. While defending that video, Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin claimed that her greatest concern was that a member of the National Guard would open fire on a civilian.
