Overview

• In a cabinet meeting on August 26, President Trump said, "I have the right to do anything I want," claiming unlimited authority to send the National Guard into states.
• Roughly 2,200 Guard members are deployed in Washington and are now armed, with a visible presence around the National Mall.
• Trump has threatened to expand deployments to cities including Chicago, Baltimore, New York, and San Francisco, drawing objections from local leaders.
• The White House has directed the creation of a specialized National Guard unit for security in Washington and rapid deployment to civil unrest nationwide.
• Legal experts and officials dispute the scope of presidential authority under 19th-century statutes and the Posse Comitatus Act, while polls show strong opposition in Washington and critics like Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Senator Dick Durbin call the moves intimidation and an abuse of power.