A half-billion-dollar price tag for Trump's military occupations of US cities is the latest evidence of his escalating authoritarian campaign. President Donald Trump has deployed troops to numerous American cities, including Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Portland, Memphis, and Chicago, with costs exceeding $473 million as of November 15. The deployments are part of a broader effort to quell dissent and intimidate protesters, despite falling crime numbers.
Trump's use of the military for domestic purposes is unprecedented in modern US history. The Insurrection Act, which Trump claims he can invoke at will, has been used only 30 times in U.S. history, according to research by New York University's Brennan Center for Justice. Critics argue that the law is not a blank check and must be interpreted within constitutional limits.
The costs of these deployments have been largely hidden from public view, with the Pentagon refusing to provide figures until recently. The latest estimates come from the National Priorities Project, which tallied the totals using open-source information and costs-per-day estimates supplied by the office of Sen. Dick Durbin.
Trump's military occupations are part of a larger authoritarian agenda that includes a crackdown on domestic enemies, an undeclared war in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, and a secret list of "designated terrorist organizations." Critics warn that these measures imperil First Amendment rights and threaten democracy itself.
As one critic put it, "Protest plays an essential role in our democracy, and President Trump is hellbent on suppressing it. The president is attempting to normalize military policing of protest, but as the founders of this country made abundantly clear, turning troops on civilians is an intolerable threat to our liberties."
Trump's use of the military for domestic purposes is unprecedented in modern US history. The Insurrection Act, which Trump claims he can invoke at will, has been used only 30 times in U.S. history, according to research by New York University's Brennan Center for Justice. Critics argue that the law is not a blank check and must be interpreted within constitutional limits.
The costs of these deployments have been largely hidden from public view, with the Pentagon refusing to provide figures until recently. The latest estimates come from the National Priorities Project, which tallied the totals using open-source information and costs-per-day estimates supplied by the office of Sen. Dick Durbin.
Trump's military occupations are part of a larger authoritarian agenda that includes a crackdown on domestic enemies, an undeclared war in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, and a secret list of "designated terrorist organizations." Critics warn that these measures imperil First Amendment rights and threaten democracy itself.
As one critic put it, "Protest plays an essential role in our democracy, and President Trump is hellbent on suppressing it. The president is attempting to normalize military policing of protest, but as the founders of this country made abundantly clear, turning troops on civilians is an intolerable threat to our liberties."
. Like, why do we need so many soldiers just chillin' in cities across the US? And $473 million for what? It's way too much if you ask me 
. And don't even get me started on that Insurrection Act - sounds like a recipe for disaster to me! 
If I were to speculate, I'd say there's some bigger fish at play here 
... maybe someone's trying to silence certain groups or shape public opinion? I mean, have you noticed all these "designated terrorist organizations" popping up out of nowhere? It sounds like a slippery slope to me 
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... The way Trump is using the military to quell dissent and intimidate protesters raises so many questions about the erosion of civil rights and the state's control over its own citizens. I mean, what does it say about us as a society that we need to be told who can and can't protest? 
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. Deploying half a billion dollars worth of troops to cities just to quash dissent and intimidate protesters? That's straight-up authoritarian behavior 
. I mean, the Insurrection Act thingy is supposed to be some big deal in US history, but Trump just goes ahead and does his own thang, like he's above the law 
. Like, what are we even paying for here? More tear gas? More police brutality reports? It's all just a big mess, dude 
. The whole thing feels like a slippery slope to some kind of dystopian nightmare 
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. Can't we just have a civilized discussion about this stuff instead of resorting to troops and tanks? I guess I'll just keep on keeping on, critiquing the past and all that, but man, this feels like some crazy times we're living in 
. I'm all for keeping the peace, but this feels like an overreach to me 
. And what's up with the secrecy around these costs? If there's something fishy going on, we should know about it 
. Can someone explain to me how the Insurrection Act works and why Trump thinks he can just use it whenever he wants? 
. And the costs are just crazy - half a billion dollars? That could be so much better spent on actual infrastructure or social programs.
. As one of my friends said, "Protest is what makes us human"... I couldn't agree more 
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️. $473 million already?! That's insane 
. It's like, dude, we get it, you're upset about some things, but using the military against American citizens is not the answer 
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. Who's footing the bill here? Is it really just Trump's personal budget or is there more to it? 
. I'm all for peaceful protests and free speech, but when you start deploying troops to quell dissent, that's a slippery slope indeed 
. We need to stay vigilant and hold our leaders accountable 
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. I mean, come on, $473 million for Trump's toy troopers in the US? That's just crazy talk! What's next, a private army of his own? And what's with all these cities he's got troops deployed to? Can't he just let us have some freedom to protest or something? 
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The Pentagon can't even give us the facts anymore? It's just so frustrating... I'm literally at my wit's end 