Trump Won’t Rule Out Declaring State Of Emergency Before Midterms
President Donald Trump told Time magazine that he won't rule out declaring a state of emergency before the midterm elections, adding that "a lot of people think I should use it sometimes."
"I don't rule anything out or in," he said when asked whether he'd rule out invoking the Insurrection Act unless there's widespread violence in the streets.
The federal law allows a U.S. president to deploy the military and National Guard to suppress civil disorder, insurrection or rebellion. It was last used by former President George H.W. Bush in 1992 in response to the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles.
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National Guard troops walk across the street from the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington in July. via Associated Press
"I could use it. A lot of people think I should use it sometimes," Trump added before going on to comment on crime rates and immigration ― two issues that he has previously suggested using the Insurrection Act for.
"We have the lowest murder rate since 1900, 125 years," he told Time, appearing to cite a January report ."We have the lowest murder rate. That's despite the fact that they allowed 25 million people," he trailed off, repeating a figure that he's baselessly given for the number of undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. under Joe Biden's administration. His administration has linked declining crime to immigration enforcement, which one study recently disproved.
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With his administration currently spreading concern of voter fraud ahead of the November elections ― something Trump commonly uses to dispute election results ― there are growing concerns that he could direct the military , at the state or federal level, to patrol polling places, potentially turning cities and states into militarized zones.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday directed the military to defend the upcoming midterm elections from "foreign interference." This defense will prioritize the department's cyber and intelligence capabilities, according to his memo.
