A Republic, Not a Regime

When presidents turn soldiers into political props, it’s not strength — it’s the beginning of authoritarian rule. We must draw the line now, before it’s too late.

When I joined the Marine Corps, I took an oath, not to a person, not to a party, but to a set of principles enshrined in the Constitution. I believe, as most service members do, that the military exists to defend our Republic —not to serve the political ambitions of a single person.

That distinction is now being deliberately blurred.

The recent decision by President Trump to activate and deploy National Guard troops to California (against the will of the Governor) was not simply an overreach. It was a match dropped onto dry grass. What began as a series of manageable, peaceful, and legal demonstrations has been transformed into something far more volatile. There was no request for this intervention. No urgent crisis. Local law enforcement had the tools and the authority to maintain control. So why send in troops?

Because the point was never peace. The point was provocation.

Trump understands the visual power of military uniforms, of armed soldiers standing in formation. He understands that images of troops on American streets can frighten opponents and thrill supporters. And he is testing, yet again, whether the public will tolerate a president using military force for domestic political gain.

This isn’t the first test. In June 2020, peaceful demonstrators were forcibly dispersed from Lafayette Square so that Trump could appear, Bible in hand, before a church. At that time, senior military leaders pushed back. Some resigned. Others spoke publicly, drawing clear boundaries between lawful military conduct and authoritarian spectacle.

Those people are mostly gone now.

In their place, Trump is positioning loyalists: individuals like Secretary Pete Hegseth, who champions a more politicized military, and Secretary Kristi Noem, whose theatricality is matched only by her disregard for constitutional norms (and proper weapons handling). Their appointments signal more than a shift in personnel,they represent an attempt to reshape the military into an instrument of domestic control.

History tells us how this ends. Democracies do not collapse in a single moment — they erode, one institution at a time. What once seemed unimaginable becomes accepted. What once shocked becomes routine.

And always, in these stories, there is a moment when the military begins to serve the leader, not the law.

That moment may now be upon us.

To veterans and active military personnel: you understand this better than most. You know the difference between a lawful order and a political stunt. You know what it means to swear allegiance to the Constitution. And you know what it means when leaders begin using your uniform to intimidate civilians, not protect them.

To all Americans: this is not about one deployment. It is about precedent. If a president can use troops to punish governors, to cow dissent, to stage nationalist pageants for his own glorification,then we are no longer talking about democracy or living under a republic.

The military is not a symbol to be waved around like a campaign banner. It is not a tool to be bent toward personal power. It is a solemn institution, with a sacred duty to the nation, not the man who temporarily occupies its highest office.

If we want to keep it that way, we must say so — clearly, and while we still can.