Opinion

Guest Essay

How the Military Became Another Instrument of Trump’s Power

Aug. 13, 2025, 5:01 a.m. ET, Listen to this article · 7:30 min Learn more

By Steven Simon and Jonathan Stevenson

Mr. Simon held senior positions in the State Department and at the National Security Council. Mr. Stevenson served on the National Security Council staff during the Obama administration.

By ordering 800 National Guard troops to Washington, on the pretext of an illusory crime wave, President Trump has further dragged the U.S. military into domestic law enforcement, in a move credibly perceived as an ominous “test case.” This continues what the administration started in California in June as part of the its deportation efforts.

Unfortunately, though we (and others) had hoped that the military would only respond to calls to action in American cities and states kicking and screaming, we no longer expect resistance from that institution. Once, perhaps, traditionalist officers might have leaned on protocol and refused to heed a lawless order, taking inspiration from the generals — Mark Milley and James Mattis — who resisted the uprooting of established military standards in the first Trump term.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Opinion | How the Military Became Another Instrument of Trump’s Power – The New York Times