Oh, here we go again. Democratic senators are practically begging President Biden to slap some limits on Trump’s ability to misuse the U.S. military. Not for anything normal, mind you, like defense or national security—no, no. We’re talking about putting guardrails in place so that Trump doesn’t decide to play toy soldiers with actual tanks and troops on American soil. Because, you know, that’s a conversation we apparently need to have in 2024.
First, let’s address the obvious. These senators aren’t pulling this concern out of thin air. They’ve seen the man’s track record. Trump already floated the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act back in 2020 to send troops into American cities during protests. Not to protect people, mind you, but to “dominate” them—his words, not mine. Dominating! Is that how you run a country? Who does he think he is, Julius Caesar? Well, sorry Don, but most of us are not signing up to be extras in your fascist fever dream.
Now, let’s look at the solution these senators are proposing. Reform the Insurrection Act. Tighten it up. Make it harder for a president to deploy the military domestically. It sounds reasonable, right? Except, have you ever tried to reform a law from 1807? It’s like trying to fix a 200-year-old steam engine with duct tape and a screwdriver. Sure, it can be done, but only if everyone involved agrees to stop arguing about whether steam engines are even a good idea in the first place.
And that’s the real problem, isn’t it? This isn’t just about laws or reforms. It’s about a system that somehow lets a guy with zero regard for rules take control of one of the most powerful militaries in the world. Trump doesn’t see laws as limits—he sees them as suggestions. He’s like a kid who figures out the cookie jar is on the top shelf and then uses a chair, a broomstick, and sheer audacity to get to it anyway. Changing the height of the shelf isn’t going to stop him.
Meanwhile, let’s talk about Senator Tim Kaine. This guy has been waving the Constitution around like it’s his personal security blanket. He’s been on a years-long crusade to remind everyone that Congress, and only Congress, has the power to declare war. That’s cute, Tim. Really. But Congress has also been rubber-stamping every military action since the Vietnam War like it’s handing out permission slips at a school field trip. So forgive me if I don’t have a lot of faith in your colleagues suddenly deciding to take their constitutional responsibilities seriously.
And then there’s Trumpworld, where this whole conversation gets even more absurd. You think they’re losing sleep over the Insurrection Act? Please. Trump and his loyalists are too busy mapping out their plans for turning the U.S. military into their personal security detail. Need to scare some protesters? Call in the National Guard. Want to crack down on the media? Send in the troops. Why not? It’s not like checks and balances have been doing a stellar job of stopping him so far.
What’s even more infuriating is how we got here. The Insurrection Act was meant to help maintain public order during times of crisis—not as a presidential plaything for suppressing dissent. But Trump being Trump, he’s taken something functional and twisted it into something terrifying. It’s like giving a toddler a flamethrower and then being surprised when he sets the living room on fire.
Now, let’s talk about Biden’s role in this mess. Democratic senators are urging him to take action now, preemptively, to keep Trump—or anyone else for that matter—from misusing military power. But do you think Biden, the king of cautious optimism, is going to wade into that political minefield? Doubtful. Biden moves slowly enough as it is, and this issue is practically begging for a full-on sprint. But instead of running, we’ll probably get a polite walk, maybe a light jog if we’re lucky.
And yet, there’s a bigger question hanging over all of this. Why does this even need to be spelled out? Shouldn’t it be obvious that the U.S. military isn’t supposed to be used against its own citizens? Did we somehow skip that chapter in Democracy 101? And if we’re at the point where we do need to spell it out, maybe the problem isn’t just Trump. Maybe the problem is a system so broken it allows someone like Trump to exploit it in the first place.
But don’t worry, folks. Congress is on it! They’re going to debate, negotiate, and maybe—just maybe—put some safeguards in place before Trump gets another shot at power. And if that doesn’t happen? Well, I guess we’ll just cross our fingers and hope he doesn’t wake up one day and decide to declare war on Ohio because someone there made fun of his golf game.
In conclusion, this is the state of American politics in a nutshell: trying to patch the roof while the house is already flooding. Democrats are scrambling to put up barriers, Republicans are pretending the flood doesn’t exist, and Trump is in the basement with a sledgehammer making the problem worse. It’s exhausting. It’s infuriating. And yet, somehow, it’s not even surprising anymore. Welcome to the circus.
