Gallego denounces Trump’s call to use US cities as ‘training grounds for our military’

WASHINGTON – Sen. Ruben Gallego sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the military use American cities as “training grounds,” calling the idea dangerous and unconstitutional.

“The oath that our members of the military take – they will not be firing upon … their own neighbors. Only an idiot like Donald Trump would believe such a thing,” Gallego, a Marine veteran, said on CNN on Tuesday afternoon.

The Arizona Democrat’s comments came hours after Trump told an unprecedented gathering of more than 800 generals and admirals that he intends to deploy the National Guard and active duty military personnel to U.S. cities run by “radical” Democrats.

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He mentioned San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles and reiterated a vow to deploy troops into Chicago.

“I told Pete,” Trump said, referring to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, “we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military – National Guard, but military.”

“We’re going to straighten them out, one by one,” Trump said. “And this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That’s a war, too. It’s a war from within.”

Trump announced Saturday on social media that he will deploy federal troops into “war ravaged Portland.” The description left residents puzzled, and Oregon and the city have gone to court to block a deployment.

Tuesday’s comments underscored the president’s enthusiasm for such deployments regardless of local objections, crime rates or legal concerns like those raised by Gallego.

RELATED: Could Phoenix draw Trump’s attention for a National Guard deployment?

“We are under invasion from within,” Trump said.

Trump sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June in response to protests over immigration enforcement. A federal judge ruled that deployment was unlawful under the 1898 Posse Comitatus Act, which forbids the military from engaging in domestic law enforcement. An appellate court disagreed and the case is pending.

Trump also put troops on the streets of the nation’s capital for 30 days, though Washington, D.C., is unique because the district government operates under federal oversight.

Gallego was one of many Democrats who rejected Trump’s assertion of a domestic “invasion” that justifies troop deployments. If Trump follows through on his threats to use military force on American streets, he said, “most U.S. citizens will stand against that in civil protest. And you’ll have many of us joining them.”

The senator also warned that troops would face legal consequences if they use force against fellow Americans.

“We’ll do everything within our constitutional power to make sure we hold anybody accountable should they ever do something of that nature,” he told CNN. “And whether it’s now or when this president is gone, anybody that engages in that type of action against our civilian – military will be held accountable, one way or the other.”

Gallego, who served as an infantryman in Iraq, asserted that the commander in chief “doesn’t actually understand how the military works” if he believes that American military personnel would turn their weapons against civilians.

“Most and all the people I’ve ever served with understand their oath to the Constitution. It’s not to this president, and when that moment comes, they are going to live up to that Constitution,” he said.

Along with the president, Hegseth addressed the top officers Tuesday in Quantico, Va., urging them to resign if they oppose his shift away from political correctness in what he prefers to call the “Department of War.” (A formal name change would require an act of Congress.)

Gallego called Hegseth “a joke” who has politicized the military.

“This is the most political Department of Defense that has ever existed, and it is not fulfilling its role and mission to protect us,” he said. “It’s now becoming an arm of this presidency.”

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