Trump stokes backlash with threat to use military against protesters

President Trump’s threat to deploy active-duty military to quell protests across the country has raised concerns about the appropriateness of using U.S. armed forces to bolster domestic law enforcement and placed the military in an awkward position.

As protests against police violence and racial injustice enter their second week, critics say Trump’s use of uniformed service members to enhance his image as a law-and-order president risks politicizing the military.

Pentagon leaders have also taken heat as they echoed Trump’s rhetoric on “dominating” protesters and accompanied him on controversial tasks such as his photo-op in front of a church Monday. Continue reading.