Former President Barack Obama accused President Donald Trump of “politicizing the military” through recent National Guard deployments to several U.S. cities, calling it a threat to democratic norms. In an interview released Monday on Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast, Obama said Trump’s actions “look like a deliberate end run around” laws limiting the military’s domestic role.
“It’s a good idea for militaries to be under civilian control,” Obama said, warning that using troops against citizens is “inherently corrupting.” He referenced Trump’s use of National Guard forces in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Memphis, as well as attempted deployments to Portland and Chicago that were blocked by courts.
A federal judge recently ruled that Trump violated the Posse Comitatus Act when ordering California National Guard troops to Los Angeles. Obama contrasted that with his own presidency, noting that Maryland’s governor, not the White House, authorized Guard troops during the 2015 Baltimore unrest.
Obama added that sending troops without state approval “weakens how we have understood democracy.”
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