President Donald Trump has suggested he could invoke the Insurrection Act if federal courts continue blocking his attempts to deploy National Guard troops to US cities, escalating tensions between the White House and state leaders.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said he was prepared to use the centuries-old law, which allows the president to deploy military forces domestically, if judicial or political opposition hindered his efforts.
“So far it hasn’t been necessary, but we have an Insurrection Act for a reason,” Trump said.
“If I had to enact it, I’d do that. If people were being killed, and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure, I’d do that. I want to make sure that people aren’t killed. We have to make sure that our cities are safe.”
His comments come as officials in Illinois and Oregon mount legal challenges against what they describe as unconstitutional federal overreach.
Illinois and the city of Chicago filed a joint lawsuit on Monday seeking to stop the “federalization” of National Guard troops drawn from Illinois and Texas. The suit calls Trump’s move “patently unlawful” and argues it violates state authority over their own guard units.
In Oregon, a federal judge on Sunday temporarily blocked the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland for the second time, citing constitutional limits on military use within states.
The Insurrection Act, last invoked in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots, grants presidents sweeping powers to deploy troops in cases of domestic unrest. Its use, however, is highly controversial — particularly when opposed by state officials.
Trump’s latest remarks underscore the growing standoff between his administration and Democratic-led states over his expanding use of federal power to confront unrest and violent crime in major cities.
