Trump Threatens Insurrection Act in a move that has intensified tensions between the White House and Democratic-led cities. The president signaled on Monday that he is prepared to invoke the federal law, first enacted more than 200 years ago, to expand military deployment in U.S. cities over the objections of state and local leaders. Speaking to reporters, Trump said the law exists for a reason and could be used if courts or local officials attempted to block his orders. We have an Insurrection Act for a reason. If people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure, I’d do that, he stated.
The Insurrection Act grants presidents the authority to deploy U.S. military forces domestically in times of unrest. Historically, it has been used sparingly, most recently during the Los Angeles riots in 1992 under President George H.W. Bush, and usually at the request of state governors. Trump’s suggestion to use it without state approval marks a sharp escalation and raises questions about executive power. The president has already ordered National Guard troops into several cities, including Chicago and Portland, despite strong opposition from Democratic mayors and governors. Last week, Trump even suggested that deploying forces to U.S. cities could serve as training grounds for the military.
Trump Threatens Insurrection Act as Legal Showdown With Democratic Cities Deepens
In Chicago, where several hundred Texas National Guard members were preparing to patrol, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker condemned the move as politically motivated. “Donald Trump is using our service members as political props and pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities, Pritzker told reporters. Protests in Chicago and Portland have largely focused on Trump’s immigration policies and, according to local officials, have been mostly peaceful. City leaders say crime rates have been trending downward in 2025, contradicting Trump’s claims of lawlessness. Still, tensions flared over the weekend as federal agents clashed with demonstrators, deploying tear gas and other crowd-control measures.
The dispute has also shifted to the courts. On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit challenging the deployment of National Guard troops, calling the orders unconstitutional. Justice Department lawyers argued that 300 Illinois Guard members had already been federalized and that an additional 400 troops from Texas were en route to Chicago. Judge April Perry allowed the deployment to continue temporarily but demanded a formal government response by Wednesday. In Oregon, a federal judge issued a temporary block on sending Guard troops to Portland, siding with state officials who argued the deployments violated federal law.
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At the core of the standoff is the balance between state sovereignty and presidential authority. The National Guard typically operates under the command of state governors and is frequently used for natural disaster response. However, the Insurrection Act functions as an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act, which generally prohibits the military from engaging in domestic law enforcement. By threatening to use the law unilaterally, Trump has signaled his willingness to broaden federal control over urban protests, sparking fierce resistance from Democratic leaders who say such moves risk deepening divisions and provoking further unrest.
Source: Reuters
