With each passing day, the internal divisions within the US become increasingly apparent. And given America's status as a global hegemon, what happens within its borders has profound implications for the rest of the world.
In an unprecedented move, President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of approximately 2,000 members of the National Guard to Los Angeles, despite the expressed opposition of California's Governor, Gavin Newsom.
Angry protesters confronted the troops, and intense clashes ensued. The footage was beamed across the world, marking a historic inflexion point in American history, in what appears to be the most overt clash between the federal and state governments possibly ever.
Never before has the National Guard been deployed without the expressed consent of a state governor. Before this weekend’s events in LA, there was a clear precedent that the National Guard was called upon with the agreement of state governors, typically to support the local response to natural disasters, such as last year’s devastating wildfires in California, or at times of civil unrest.
However, Trump threw this convention out the window with his decision, sparking the ire of Newsom, who described the move as "provocative". Washington hit back, with a warning that it could go even further.
For his part, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth accused Newsom of “negligence”, labelled him “deranged”, and issued a stark threat on Trump’s behalf to deploy the regular army: “If violence continues, active-duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilised—they are on high alert.”
