It is the extensive protests against the immigration authority ICE that have prompted Donald Trump to call in the national guard. A decision that, based on previous developments, is not surprising, according to Oscar Winberg.
This gives Trump another opportunity to portray himself as strong and independent again. We need to remember that Trump has a strong ability and a strong interest in controlling media attention, says Oscar Winberg.
Unique situation
But the situation is unique. It has been 60 years since a sitting president circumvented a state governor. It was in Alabama and the purpose was to protect civil rights activists from the state governor.
Another time was in 1957 when President Eisenhower called in the national guard to protect nine black schoolchildren in Arkansas who the state governor had stopped from attending a white school.
Now, no one has challenged or defied a court decision or acted illegally. Therefore, the situation is unique.
Oscar Winberg believes it is likely that Trump's decision will be questioned legally.
It is possible that someone will try to challenge the decision in court. It's about an interpretation of the law that is not established, when he calls in the national guard despite Governor Gavin Newsom saying it is not needed.
However, he sees it as unlikely that the Trump administration would deploy military, something Defense Minister Pete Hegseth has threatened with.
Deploying military against the own population does not belong in a thriving democracy.
Hard to predict
What will happen next on the streets of Los Angeles is hard to predict, thinks Oscar Winberg.
But I think it's important to remember that everyone who is very upset about Trump's actions is also aware that Trump likes to see the demonstrations become violent, so that he gets the TV images he wants.
He continues:
But if the demonstration grows, it will become harder and harder for the leaders to control the situation on the ground. After the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020, it could be shown that much of the violence started with people who did not share Black Lives Matter's goals at all.
