JD VANCE DEFENDS TRUMP NATIONAL GUARD ELECTION DAY PLAN
In more traditional election cycles, the impact of the democratic process on the military community typically focuses on foreign policies, military budgets, and benefits for Veterans—things that affect everyday Americans. However, the last few cycles have been anything but ordinary. As a result, like many other aspects of American life, the military finds itself a part of some odd conversations. One of the latest developments is Donald Trump’s idea to use the National Guard on Election Day. Despite active assassination threats from Iran, ongoing misinformation campaigns, and various disruptions to democracy, Trump’s National Guard aims to protect democracy from “radical left lunatics.” JD Vance has since defended the idea of using military force against Americans based on Trump’s comments, leading to further backlash with November 5th fast approaching.
Trump National Guard Usage on Election Day 2024
Fearing a potential attack or protest from “the enemy from within,” Trump wants to use the National Guard to maintain order on Election Day. “I think the bigger problem (is) the people from within. We have some very bad people. We have some sick people.
Radical left lunatics. I think it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen,” said Trump during an interview on Sunday Morning Futures. Clinging to the idea that the 2020 presidential election was rigged due to fraud, Trump believes that Democrats may try to cheat in order to ensure a victory for Kamala Harris in 2024.
JD Vance Defends Trump’s Comments
Senator JD Vance is defending his running mate, Donald Trump, for his stance on using the U.S. military domestically.
At the core of his argument, Vance is claiming media misinterpretations of Trump's "enemy within" comments. This is despite multiple comments involving everyone from “radical-left lunatics” to Democratic political opponents being labeled as enemies.
This includes the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff; however, Vance is saying that the military threats apply only to rioters.
Vance argued that Trump’s use of terms like “enemy within” is aimed at hypothetical violent leftist rioters, not Democratic lawmakers. He supports deploying the National Guard in cases of violent unrest, clarifying Trump’s remarks in a CNN interview.
Vance’s recent interviews have often aimed at reframing Trump’s controversial statements for moderate audiences, as election day approaches.
As the Republican nominee for Vice President, Vance also downplayed Trump’s harsh comments on NATO and his musings about abolishing federal income tax, while defending him against criticism from former officials.
Liz Cheney has been vocal in pointing out Trump's rhetoric and now, Vance's attempt to defend such comments.
Rising Threats
Trump’s campaign supports the idea of military use on Election Day. It has even pointed to the recent arrest of Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, an Afghan national charged with plotting acts of terrorism for ISIS on November 5, 2024.
Iran continues to also look for ways to assassinate Trump and others involved in a drone strike during his first term that killed a high-level Iranian military official. Despite these threats to our nation, Trump’s National Guard interest continues to focus on Americans and their potential for disrupting the election.
It should be no surprise that Vice President Kamala Harris continues to criticize these statements.
Military Usage, Law Enforcement, and Insurrections
Donald Trump’s National Guard plan may seem good in theory. This is assuming there were credible threats to contend with. However, many are criticizing it as a political move to make Republican voters look better while painting Democratic voters in a negative light.
Trump has stated that he doesn’t think violence on Election Day will come from his supporters. He believes that the use of military members would apply to leftist supporters instead. However, there are a few key things to consider:
Trump really has no authority to currently have the National Guard or any portion of the military do anything.
The Posse Comitatus Act keeps federal troops away from civilian law enforcement unless Congress or the Constitution explicitly authorizes their usage.
It’s worth noting, however, that the Insurrection Act of 1807 does allow for the use of the military by the President. This is to stop rebellions or violence and states can use the National Guard as law enforcement in these cases.
Should there be a credible threat to democracy, it seems that there may be a path to using the military. However, it seems such decisions would come from President Biden, Congress, or state leaders, not presidential candidates.
Did Trump Offer the National Guard on January 6th?
While the laws allowing for the use of the National Guard are vague, again, such decisions require people in office to make them and a legal justification for doing so. However, Trump is tied to one interesting time in which the National Guard could have been used but wasn’t—the January 6th insurrection.
Funny enough, the Committee on House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight has found that then-President Trump told The Pentagon to use the National Guard to maintain peace, which were requests that went ignored. Transcripts show that Trump wanted to use the National Guard but authorities didn’t think it would be a good look and deferred the use of the military during the event.
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