Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair

In the summer of 2020, during the protests in Minneapolis following the brutal murder of George Floyd, Donald Trump and his senior aides discussed the invocation of the Insurrection Act of 1807 in order to deploy active-duty military personnel to quell the unrest. Fortunately, Trump’s most senior advisers—Attorney General William Barr, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley—were strongly opposed to sending military personnel to an American city.

There is reason to believe that the invocation of the Insurrection Act is once again on the table in the White House, and there is little likelihood that Attorney General Pam Bondi or Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth would object; in fact, it is reasonable to assume that Bondi and Hegseth, who are consumed with exaggerated fears of domestic instability, would favor such a move. The unknown in the group, of course, is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine, who is already facing a great deal of pressure to politicize the professional military.

Trump was furious about the protests in Minneapolis and reportedly wanted to send thousands of active-duty forces to the city. He had significant support from White House aides, presumably led by Stephen Miller, the current deputy chief of staff who is shepherding the harsh........

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