Fact Check: National guard in D.C. going after children

Fact Check: National guard in D.C. going after children

Published August 15, 2025
VERDICT
False

# Fact-Check: "National Guard in D.C. Going After Children" ## What We Know The claim that the National Guard in Washington, D.C., is "going after ch...

Fact-Check: "National Guard in D.C. Going After Children"

What We Know

The claim that the National Guard in Washington, D.C., is "going after children" appears to stem from a broader context regarding the deployment of National Guard troops to address crime in the city. Recently, approximately 800 National Guard members were activated as part of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, aimed at supporting law enforcement in combating crime and improving safety in the area (Defense.gov). The deployment was initiated by President Trump, who described the situation in D.C. as a "crime-infested wasteland" and emphasized the need for a strong law enforcement presence to restore safety (The New York Times).

While the National Guard's mission includes providing support to law enforcement, there is no credible evidence or official statement indicating that the National Guard is specifically targeting children. In fact, the deployment's stated purpose is to enhance public safety and assist law enforcement in managing crime, not to engage with youth in a punitive manner (ABC News).

Analysis

The assertion that the National Guard is "going after children" lacks substantiation from reliable sources. The primary sources discussing the National Guard's deployment focus on crime prevention and public safety, rather than any targeted actions against children. For instance, a statement from Strategies for Youth criticized the deployment, arguing that the National Guard is not equipped to handle youth-related issues effectively, but this does not equate to a claim that they are actively pursuing children (Strategies for Youth).

Moreover, reports from various news outlets, including USA Today and NBC Washington, emphasize the National Guard's role in providing a visible security presence and assisting with crime-related issues, rather than targeting specific demographics. The initial deployment of troops was described as a "presence patrol," aimed at being seen in the community rather than engaging in aggressive law enforcement tactics (The New York Times).

The credibility of the sources discussing the National Guard's deployment is generally high, as they include reputable news organizations and official government communications. However, the interpretation of their actions can vary, and some narratives may sensationalize the situation to create a more alarming picture than warranted.

Conclusion

The claim that the National Guard in D.C. is "going after children" is False. There is no evidence to support the notion that the National Guard is specifically targeting children. Instead, their deployment is focused on enhancing public safety and supporting law enforcement in addressing crime. The narrative appears to be a misinterpretation or exaggeration of the National Guard's intended role in the community.

Sources

  1. National Guard Task Force Mobilized to Restore Safety in D.C.
  2. National Guard Deploys in D.C. as Trump's Crime Plan Takes Shape
  3. National Guard troops have begun 24-hour operations in DC
  4. Few National Guard troops seen in DC as residents react
  5. Statement of Strategies for Youth Opposing Plans to Send the National Guard to Control Youth in Washington, D.C.
  6. National Guard appears in DC after Trump surges federal presence
  7. August 13th, 2025: Deploying the National Guard: Crime and Politics
  8. Federal patrols ramp up in DC during police takeover

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Fact Check: Transcript
00:00
White conservatives is not
considering this child an
anchor baby. Education is
elevation and let's get into
the conservative contradictions
of everything they say about
immigration. For instance, do
y'all know that Melania Trump's
visa was questioned in a
congressional hearing this
January twenty twenty-five. You
want to know why? Melania Trump
was a college dropout who
arrived in the United States on
a Einstein visa. Get this
though. Reserved. The other
visa is reserved for people
with extraordinary ability and
sustained national
international acclaim such as a
palitza, Oscar, Olympic Winter,
But listen, Baron was born
00:32
March 20th two thousand and 6.
Melania became a US citizen
July twenty-8th two thousand
and 6. Trump wants to end
birthright citizenship when his
own child is a product of
birthright citizenship. We can
question a Mexican-American
citizen for marrying an
undocumented Mexican. Oh yeah,
we gotta be able to question
when Europeans do the same
thing or no. On my mama, think
about it. There are 666, 000
illegal immigrants in the
United States from European
countries. The vast majority of
them are white. Yet you don't
01:03
see a single one of them have
their children stripped away
from them, raided, locked up in
cages, and we all know why. You
know equal protection under the
law has always been a myth and
the word immigration has always
been a cold word for unwanted
color people. They ain't
worried about they child being
kidnapped. They ain't worried
about dropping Baron off at
school or in college and him
being being kidnapped by masked
Asians. Elon Musk worked in
United States illegally in 1995
after quit his school job. I
feel like if a Haitian
immigrant came over here and
worked illegally and ended up
amassing a whole bunch of
wealth they will find and trump wants to end birthright citizen ship?	
everything to be illegitimate
because you started off
illegal. Let's pay attention to
the language too y'all. So
Donald Trump's grandfather was
a illegal migrant and a Trojan
horse. Which means that Donald
Trump's parents is a product of
being what they call what a
tether baby, a anchor baby, a
birthright citizenship. To the
people on this side, they do
not believe that the Second
Amendment only applies to
muskets. So you believe that
their only applies to the
sentence of slaves is stupid.
Which brings me to another
point. When these folks want to
distance themselves from
02:06
everybody that benefited from
slavery, they love to tell you
about their proud immigrant
background a
Partially True
🎯 Similar

Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 White conservatives is not considering this child an anchor baby. Education is elevation and let's get into the conservative contradictions of everything they say about immigration. For instance, do y'all know that Melania Trump's visa was questioned in a congressional hearing this January twenty twenty-five. You want to know why? Melania Trump was a college dropout who arrived in the United States on a Einstein visa. Get this though. Reserved. The other visa is reserved for people with extraordinary ability and sustained national international acclaim such as a palitza, Oscar, Olympic Winter, But listen, Baron was born 00:32 March 20th two thousand and 6. Melania became a US citizen July twenty-8th two thousand and 6. Trump wants to end birthright citizenship when his own child is a product of birthright citizenship. We can question a Mexican-American citizen for marrying an undocumented Mexican. Oh yeah, we gotta be able to question when Europeans do the same thing or no. On my mama, think about it. There are 666, 000 illegal immigrants in the United States from European countries. The vast majority of them are white. Yet you don't 01:03 see a single one of them have their children stripped away from them, raided, locked up in cages, and we all know why. You know equal protection under the law has always been a myth and the word immigration has always been a cold word for unwanted color people. They ain't worried about they child being kidnapped. They ain't worried about dropping Baron off at school or in college and him being being kidnapped by masked Asians. Elon Musk worked in United States illegally in 1995 after quit his school job. I feel like if a Haitian immigrant came over here and worked illegally and ended up amassing a whole bunch of wealth they will find and trump wants to end birthright citizen ship? everything to be illegitimate because you started off illegal. Let's pay attention to the language too y'all. So Donald Trump's grandfather was a illegal migrant and a Trojan horse. Which means that Donald Trump's parents is a product of being what they call what a tether baby, a anchor baby, a birthright citizenship. To the people on this side, they do not believe that the Second Amendment only applies to muskets. So you believe that their only applies to the sentence of slaves is stupid. Which brings me to another point. When these folks want to distance themselves from 02:06 everybody that benefited from slavery, they love to tell you about their proud immigrant background a

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Transcript 00:00 White conservatives is not considering this child an anchor baby. Education is elevation and let's get into the conservative contradictions of everything they say about immigration. For instance, do y'all know that Melania Trump's visa was questioned in a congressional hearing this January twenty twenty-five. You want to know why? Melania Trump was a college dropout who arrived in the United States on a Einstein visa. Get this though. Reserved. The other visa is reserved for people with extraordinary ability and sustained national international acclaim such as a palitza, Oscar, Olympic Winter, But listen, Baron was born 00:32 March 20th two thousand and 6. Melania became a US citizen July twenty-8th two thousand and 6. Trump wants to end birthright citizenship when his own child is a product of birthright citizenship. We can question a Mexican-American citizen for marrying an undocumented Mexican. Oh yeah, we gotta be able to question when Europeans do the same thing or no. On my mama, think about it. There are 666, 000 illegal immigrants in the United States from European countries. The vast majority of them are white. Yet you don't 01:03 see a single one of them have their children stripped away from them, raided, locked up in cages, and we all know why. You know equal protection under the law has always been a myth and the word immigration has always been a cold word for unwanted color people. They ain't worried about they child being kidnapped. They ain't worried about dropping Baron off at school or in college and him being being kidnapped by masked Asians. Elon Musk worked in United States illegally in 1995 after quit his school job. I feel like if a Haitian immigrant came over here and worked illegally and ended up amassing a whole bunch of wealth they will find and trump wants to end birthright citizen ship? everything to be illegitimate because you started off illegal. Let's pay attention to the language too y'all. So Donald Trump's grandfather was a illegal migrant and a Trojan horse. Which means that Donald Trump's parents is a product of being what they call what a tether baby, a anchor baby, a birthright citizenship. To the people on this side, they do not believe that the Second Amendment only applies to muskets. So you believe that their only applies to the sentence of slaves is stupid. Which brings me to another point. When these folks want to distance themselves from 02:06 everybody that benefited from slavery, they love to tell you about their proud immigrant background a

Jul 20, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: Transcript
00:00
White conservatives is not
considering this child an
anchor baby. Education is
elevation and let's get into
the conservative contradictions
of everything they say about
immigration. For instance, do
y'all know that Melania Trump's
visa was questioned in a
congressional hearing this
January twenty twenty-five. You
want to know why? Melania Trump
was a college dropout who
arrived in the United States on
a Einstein visa. Get this
though. Reserved. The other
visa is reserved for people
with extraordinary ability and
sustained national
international acclaim such as a
palitza, Oscar, Olympic Winter,
But listen, Baron was born
00:32
March 20th two thousand and 6.
Melania became a US citizen
July twenty-8th two thousand
and 6. Trump wants to end
birthright citizenship when his
own child is a product of
birthright citizenship. We can
question a Mexican-American
citizen for marrying an
undocumented Mexican. Oh yeah,
we gotta be able to question
when Europeans do the same
thing or no. On my mama, think
about it. There are 666, 000
illegal immigrants in the
United States from European
countries. The vast majority of
them are white. Yet you don't
01:03
see a single one of them have
their children stripped away
from them, raided, locked up in
cages, and we all know why. You
know equal protection under the
law has always been a myth and
the word immigration has always
been a cold word for unwanted
color people. They ain't
worried about they child being
kidnapped. They ain't worried
about dropping Baron off at
school or in college and him
being being kidnapped by masked
Asians. Elon Musk worked in
United States illegally in 1995
after quit his school job. I
feel like if a Haitian
immigrant came over here and
worked illegally and ended up
amassing a whole bunch of
wealth they will find
True
🎯 Similar

Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 White conservatives is not considering this child an anchor baby. Education is elevation and let's get into the conservative contradictions of everything they say about immigration. For instance, do y'all know that Melania Trump's visa was questioned in a congressional hearing this January twenty twenty-five. You want to know why? Melania Trump was a college dropout who arrived in the United States on a Einstein visa. Get this though. Reserved. The other visa is reserved for people with extraordinary ability and sustained national international acclaim such as a palitza, Oscar, Olympic Winter, But listen, Baron was born 00:32 March 20th two thousand and 6. Melania became a US citizen July twenty-8th two thousand and 6. Trump wants to end birthright citizenship when his own child is a product of birthright citizenship. We can question a Mexican-American citizen for marrying an undocumented Mexican. Oh yeah, we gotta be able to question when Europeans do the same thing or no. On my mama, think about it. There are 666, 000 illegal immigrants in the United States from European countries. The vast majority of them are white. Yet you don't 01:03 see a single one of them have their children stripped away from them, raided, locked up in cages, and we all know why. You know equal protection under the law has always been a myth and the word immigration has always been a cold word for unwanted color people. They ain't worried about they child being kidnapped. They ain't worried about dropping Baron off at school or in college and him being being kidnapped by masked Asians. Elon Musk worked in United States illegally in 1995 after quit his school job. I feel like if a Haitian immigrant came over here and worked illegally and ended up amassing a whole bunch of wealth they will find

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Transcript 00:00 White conservatives is not considering this child an anchor baby. Education is elevation and let's get into the conservative contradictions of everything they say about immigration. For instance, do y'all know that Melania Trump's visa was questioned in a congressional hearing this January twenty twenty-five. You want to know why? Melania Trump was a college dropout who arrived in the United States on a Einstein visa. Get this though. Reserved. The other visa is reserved for people with extraordinary ability and sustained national international acclaim such as a palitza, Oscar, Olympic Winter, But listen, Baron was born 00:32 March 20th two thousand and 6. Melania became a US citizen July twenty-8th two thousand and 6. Trump wants to end birthright citizenship when his own child is a product of birthright citizenship. We can question a Mexican-American citizen for marrying an undocumented Mexican. Oh yeah, we gotta be able to question when Europeans do the same thing or no. On my mama, think about it. There are 666, 000 illegal immigrants in the United States from European countries. The vast majority of them are white. Yet you don't 01:03 see a single one of them have their children stripped away from them, raided, locked up in cages, and we all know why. You know equal protection under the law has always been a myth and the word immigration has always been a cold word for unwanted color people. They ain't worried about they child being kidnapped. They ain't worried about dropping Baron off at school or in college and him being being kidnapped by masked Asians. Elon Musk worked in United States illegally in 1995 after quit his school job. I feel like if a Haitian immigrant came over here and worked illegally and ended up amassing a whole bunch of wealth they will find

Jul 20, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: Transcript
00:00
Not trying to freak anybody
out. I wasn't going to talk
about this for a while but is
anyone else like looking into
the fact that there's 76
volcanoes that are currently
erupting. Our polls have moved
astronomic. Like they're
they're moving faster than they
ever have in history. And on
top of that we've got the
earthquakes everywhere and the
fires. We've got earthquakes
that are happening at
Yellowstone National Park and
Santorini which are two of the
most massive volcanoes. Like we
have the the gases that are
00:31
coming from these different
volcanic eruptions that are
spreading all over the planet
and then on top of that we've
also got the solar flares that
are hitting the magnetic field
of our planet which if it
weakens enough can actually
cause the the poles to flip.
And that's concerning because
if you've looked into what
happens if that I mean we don't
know for sure. It's
theoretical. For entertainment
purposes only always and
forever. Of course. But at
Theoretically it wouldn't be
good. Who knows? There could be
01:07
like some saving grace. Maybe
it won't happen. Maybe it'll
just all calm down. But it goes
along also with the hopey
prophecy. Of the the two
brothers or twins flipping and
then the weakening and then the
the floods and all that that
jazz that seems to be And then
we've got the airplanes on top
of that which could either be
maybe from the magnetic field
or the solar flares or from the
poles shifting. I have no idea.
But there's a lot of pl
False
🎯 Similar

Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 Not trying to freak anybody out. I wasn't going to talk about this for a while but is anyone else like looking into the fact that there's 76 volcanoes that are currently erupting. Our polls have moved astronomic. Like they're they're moving faster than they ever have in history. And on top of that we've got the earthquakes everywhere and the fires. We've got earthquakes that are happening at Yellowstone National Park and Santorini which are two of the most massive volcanoes. Like we have the the gases that are 00:31 coming from these different volcanic eruptions that are spreading all over the planet and then on top of that we've also got the solar flares that are hitting the magnetic field of our planet which if it weakens enough can actually cause the the poles to flip. And that's concerning because if you've looked into what happens if that I mean we don't know for sure. It's theoretical. For entertainment purposes only always and forever. Of course. But at Theoretically it wouldn't be good. Who knows? There could be 01:07 like some saving grace. Maybe it won't happen. Maybe it'll just all calm down. But it goes along also with the hopey prophecy. Of the the two brothers or twins flipping and then the weakening and then the the floods and all that that jazz that seems to be And then we've got the airplanes on top of that which could either be maybe from the magnetic field or the solar flares or from the poles shifting. I have no idea. But there's a lot of pl

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Transcript 00:00 Not trying to freak anybody out. I wasn't going to talk about this for a while but is anyone else like looking into the fact that there's 76 volcanoes that are currently erupting. Our polls have moved astronomic. Like they're they're moving faster than they ever have in history. And on top of that we've got the earthquakes everywhere and the fires. We've got earthquakes that are happening at Yellowstone National Park and Santorini which are two of the most massive volcanoes. Like we have the the gases that are 00:31 coming from these different volcanic eruptions that are spreading all over the planet and then on top of that we've also got the solar flares that are hitting the magnetic field of our planet which if it weakens enough can actually cause the the poles to flip. And that's concerning because if you've looked into what happens if that I mean we don't know for sure. It's theoretical. For entertainment purposes only always and forever. Of course. But at Theoretically it wouldn't be good. Who knows? There could be 01:07 like some saving grace. Maybe it won't happen. Maybe it'll just all calm down. But it goes along also with the hopey prophecy. Of the the two brothers or twins flipping and then the weakening and then the the floods and all that that jazz that seems to be And then we've got the airplanes on top of that which could either be maybe from the magnetic field or the solar flares or from the poles shifting. I have no idea. But there's a lot of pl

Jul 28, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: Transcript
00:00
We have some news right now.
Ice detained a toddler, a
mother, and a grandmother. All
United States American citizens
just because they overheard
them speaking Spanish.
According to Telamundo, Puerto
Rico, these three American
citizens were taken into
custody in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
after Ice agents overheard them
speaking Spanish. This included
a toddler. A member of their
family says that they were
taken into custody while
shopping at a local department
store. And they didn't have a
chance to speak with Ice agents
until they were at the
detention facility. And when
they arrived they tried to
explain to Ice that they were
born in Puerto Rico that
they're American citizens. And
00:32
it wasn't until after they
provided documentation of proof
that Ice agents apologize and
that they were eventually
released. According to the
Daily Beast Daryl Marine the
national president of the
Hispanic Advocacy Group Forward
Latino has confirmed that these
three individuals were detained
by Ice. More and more American
citizens are being caught up in
these mass deportation rates
True

Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 We have some news right now. Ice detained a toddler, a mother, and a grandmother. All United States American citizens just because they overheard them speaking Spanish. According to Telamundo, Puerto Rico, these three American citizens were taken into custody in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after Ice agents overheard them speaking Spanish. This included a toddler. A member of their family says that they were taken into custody while shopping at a local department store. And they didn't have a chance to speak with Ice agents until they were at the detention facility. And when they arrived they tried to explain to Ice that they were born in Puerto Rico that they're American citizens. And 00:32 it wasn't until after they provided documentation of proof that Ice agents apologize and that they were eventually released. According to the Daily Beast Daryl Marine the national president of the Hispanic Advocacy Group Forward Latino has confirmed that these three individuals were detained by Ice. More and more American citizens are being caught up in these mass deportation rates

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Transcript 00:00 We have some news right now. Ice detained a toddler, a mother, and a grandmother. All United States American citizens just because they overheard them speaking Spanish. According to Telamundo, Puerto Rico, these three American citizens were taken into custody in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after Ice agents overheard them speaking Spanish. This included a toddler. A member of their family says that they were taken into custody while shopping at a local department store. And they didn't have a chance to speak with Ice agents until they were at the detention facility. And when they arrived they tried to explain to Ice that they were born in Puerto Rico that they're American citizens. And 00:32 it wasn't until after they provided documentation of proof that Ice agents apologize and that they were eventually released. According to the Daily Beast Daryl Marine the national president of the Hispanic Advocacy Group Forward Latino has confirmed that these three individuals were detained by Ice. More and more American citizens are being caught up in these mass deportation rates

Jul 27, 2025
Read more →
🔍
Partially True

Fact Check: Paul Krugman Paul Krugman We’re All Rats Now Time to take a stand, again, against racism Paul Krugman Jun 30, 2025 Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in New York’s Democratic primary has created panic in MAGAland. Stephen Miller, the architect of Donald Trump’s deportation policies, waxed apocalyptic: Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, declared that New York is about to turn into “Caracas on the Hudson.” And Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama basically declared New York’s voters subhuman, saying: These inner-city rats, they live off the federal government. And that’s one reason we’re $37 trillion in debt. And it’s time we find these rats and we send them back home, that are living off the American taxpayers that are working very hard every week to pay taxes. These reactions are vile, and they’re also dishonest. Whatever these men may claim, it’s all about bigotry. Miller isn’t concerned about the state of New York “society.” What bothers him is the idea of nonwhite people having political power. Bessent isn’t really deeply worried about Zamdani’s economic ideas. But he feels free, maybe even obliged, to slander a foreign-born Muslim with language he would never use about a white Christian politician, even if that politician were (like some of his colleagues in the Trump administration) a total crackpot. And while Tuberville stands out even within his caucus as an ignorant fool, his willingness to use dehumanizing language about millions of people shows that raw racism is rapidly becoming mainstream in American politics. Remember, during the campaign both Trump and JD Vance amplified the slanders about Haitians eating pets. And now that they’re in office, you can see the resurgence of raw racism all across Trump administration policies, large and small. You can see it, for example, in the cuts at the National Institutes of Health, which are so tilted against racial minorities that a federal judge — one appointed by Ronald Reagan! — declared I’ve never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable. I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this. You can see it in the renaming of military bases after Confederate generals — that is, traitors who fought for slavery. You can even see it in a change in the military’s shaving policy that is clearly custom-designed to drive Black men — who account for around a quarter of the Army’s new recruits — out of the service. So racism and bigotry are back, big time. Who’s safe? Nobody. Are you a legal immigrant? Well, the Supreme Court just allowed Trump to summarily strip half a million U.S. residents of that status, and only a fool would imagine that this is the end of the story. Anyway, when masked men who claim to be ICE agents but refuse to show identification are grabbing people off the streets because they think those people look illegal, does legal status even matter? Does it even matter if you’re a U.S. citizen? And the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is set to massively increase ICE’s funding — basically setting up a huge national secret police force. Now, maybe you imagine that you yourself won’t suffer from this new reign of bigotry and imagine that everyone you care about is similarly safe. But if that’s what you think, you’re likely to face a rude awakening. I personally don’t have any illusions of safety. Yes, I’m a native-born white citizen. But my wife and her family are Black, and some of my friends and relatives are foreign-born U.S. citizens. Furthermore, I’m Jewish, and anyone who knows their history realizes that whenever right-wing bigotry is on the ascendant, we’re always next in line. Are there really people out there naïve enough to believe MAGA’s claims to be against antisemitism, who can’t see the transparent cynicism and dishonesty? The fact is that the Trump administration already contains a number of figures with strong ties to antisemitic extremists. The Great Replacement Theory, which has de facto become part of MAGA’s ideology, doesn’t just say that there’s a conspiracy to replace whites with people of color; it says that it’s a Jewish conspiracy. So I’m definitely scared of what the many antisemites inside or with close ties to the Trump administration may eventually do. And no, I’m not frightened at all by the prospect that New York may soon have a somewhat leftist Muslim mayor. Anyway, my personal fears are beside the point. Everyone who cares about keeping America America needs to take a stand against the resurgence of bigotry. Because the truth is that we’re all rats now. MUSICAL CODA Discussion about this post Michael Roseman Jun 30 Edited For a while, American bigotry was ashamed of itself. Or pretended to be. Now it runs the government. Reply Share 106 replies Megan Rothery Jun 30 Edited Take a stand - Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly. Use/share this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to those in your own state, as well as those in others. Use your voice and make some “good trouble” ❤️‍🩹🤍💙 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit?usp=drivesdk Reply Share 31 replies 852 more comments... No posts Ready for more? © 2025 Paul Krugman Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice Start writing Get the app Substack is the home for great culture

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Paul Krugman Paul Krugman We’re All Rats Now Time to take a stand, again, against racism Paul Krugman Jun 30, 2025 Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in New York’s Democratic primary has created panic in MAGAland. Stephen Miller, the architect of Donald Trump’s deportation policies, waxed apocalyptic: Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, declared that New York is about to turn into “Caracas on the Hudson.” And Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama basically declared New York’s voters subhuman, saying: These inner-city rats, they live off the federal government. And that’s one reason we’re $37 trillion in debt. And it’s time we find these rats and we send them back home, that are living off the American taxpayers that are working very hard every week to pay taxes. These reactions are vile, and they’re also dishonest. Whatever these men may claim, it’s all about bigotry. Miller isn’t concerned about the state of New York “society.” What bothers him is the idea of nonwhite people having political power. Bessent isn’t really deeply worried about Zamdani’s economic ideas. But he feels free, maybe even obliged, to slander a foreign-born Muslim with language he would never use about a white Christian politician, even if that politician were (like some of his colleagues in the Trump administration) a total crackpot. And while Tuberville stands out even within his caucus as an ignorant fool, his willingness to use dehumanizing language about millions of people shows that raw racism is rapidly becoming mainstream in American politics. Remember, during the campaign both Trump and JD Vance amplified the slanders about Haitians eating pets. And now that they’re in office, you can see the resurgence of raw racism all across Trump administration policies, large and small. You can see it, for example, in the cuts at the National Institutes of Health, which are so tilted against racial minorities that a federal judge — one appointed by Ronald Reagan! — declared I’ve never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable. I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this. You can see it in the renaming of military bases after Confederate generals — that is, traitors who fought for slavery. You can even see it in a change in the military’s shaving policy that is clearly custom-designed to drive Black men — who account for around a quarter of the Army’s new recruits — out of the service. So racism and bigotry are back, big time. Who’s safe? Nobody. Are you a legal immigrant? Well, the Supreme Court just allowed Trump to summarily strip half a million U.S. residents of that status, and only a fool would imagine that this is the end of the story. Anyway, when masked men who claim to be ICE agents but refuse to show identification are grabbing people off the streets because they think those people look illegal, does legal status even matter? Does it even matter if you’re a U.S. citizen? And the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is set to massively increase ICE’s funding — basically setting up a huge national secret police force. Now, maybe you imagine that you yourself won’t suffer from this new reign of bigotry and imagine that everyone you care about is similarly safe. But if that’s what you think, you’re likely to face a rude awakening. I personally don’t have any illusions of safety. Yes, I’m a native-born white citizen. But my wife and her family are Black, and some of my friends and relatives are foreign-born U.S. citizens. Furthermore, I’m Jewish, and anyone who knows their history realizes that whenever right-wing bigotry is on the ascendant, we’re always next in line. Are there really people out there naïve enough to believe MAGA’s claims to be against antisemitism, who can’t see the transparent cynicism and dishonesty? The fact is that the Trump administration already contains a number of figures with strong ties to antisemitic extremists. The Great Replacement Theory, which has de facto become part of MAGA’s ideology, doesn’t just say that there’s a conspiracy to replace whites with people of color; it says that it’s a Jewish conspiracy. So I’m definitely scared of what the many antisemites inside or with close ties to the Trump administration may eventually do. And no, I’m not frightened at all by the prospect that New York may soon have a somewhat leftist Muslim mayor. Anyway, my personal fears are beside the point. Everyone who cares about keeping America America needs to take a stand against the resurgence of bigotry. Because the truth is that we’re all rats now. MUSICAL CODA Discussion about this post Michael Roseman Jun 30 Edited For a while, American bigotry was ashamed of itself. Or pretended to be. Now it runs the government. Reply Share 106 replies Megan Rothery Jun 30 Edited Take a stand - Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly. Use/share this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to those in your own state, as well as those in others. Use your voice and make some “good trouble” ❤️‍🩹🤍💙 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit?usp=drivesdk Reply Share 31 replies 852 more comments... No posts Ready for more? © 2025 Paul Krugman Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice Start writing Get the app Substack is the home for great culture

Jul 20, 2025
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Fact Check: The deployment of National Guard troops violated the Posse Comitatus Act.
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Fact Check: The deployment of National Guard troops violated the Posse Comitatus Act.

Detailed fact-check analysis of: The deployment of National Guard troops violated the Posse Comitatus Act.

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Fact Check: National guard in D.C. going after children | TruthOrFake Blog