Here’s a thought experiment. What would happen if we put thousands of heavily armed soldiers into the streets of major American cities to enforce laws and deal with civil unrest, even though the troops had no significant training in either regard? And what would happen if citizens held mass demonstrations against this affront to their constitutional rights of speech and assembly, despite the protesters having little or no training in nonviolent resistance?

We know the answer because it happened at Kent State University in 1970.

Here is another scenario. What would happen if armed provocateurs showed up in this volatile mix, intending to trigger a second civil war in America? We know the answer. We saw an example on Jan. 6, 2021, when Proud Boys and several other extremist groups provoked violence during a riot at the Capitol.

Today, President Trump is engaged in his own experiment — a dangerous performative political stunt in which he’s federalized the National Guard and deployed regular U.S. troops to cities run by Democrats.

How do we know it’s performative? Because he’s threatening to invade only blue states and cities. His law-and-order excuse is implausible. Few Americans have shown more contempt for law and order than the four-times indicted, twice impeached,

© The Hill