【By Observer Net, Ruan Jiaqi】

According to U.S. media such as The New York Times, on August 25 local time, U.S. President Trump signed several executive orders, requiring the abolition of the cashless bail policy in Washington D.C. and across the country, and increasing efforts to crack down on flag desecration.

AFP reported that Trump said in the Oval Office that he is considering sending the National Guard to Chicago and Baltimore, to assist in curbing crime. He specifically criticized Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, who had strongly opposed Trump's government deploying the National Guard to the state under the pretext of "fighting crime," accusing him of "abusing his authority."

However, instead of fighting with Pritzker, Trump's nonsense accidentally hit China.

According to the video from the press conference, while complaining about Pritzker being a "backstabber" and ungrateful for federal help, Trump suddenly mentioned Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, saying she had previously sought his help regarding the "invasion of Chinese carp" in the Great Lakes, implying that Pritzker should learn from her and actively request federal assistance.

When asked whether he would still order the deployment of the National Guard to cities if the governors did not request it, Trump said, "Pritzker should have proactively requested our help. You know, I did Whitmer a big favor regarding the carp issue, Chinese carp, have you heard of them? These fish are almost taking over your Great Lakes. She came to me asking if I could help solve it. I said, 'Sure, I'll handle it, but I think the governor of Illinois should also step up and ask for it.'"

Whitmer may be an unfamiliar name, but you've probably seen that photo of her "getting stuck in the Earth"—this April, this Democratic governor visited Trump, and without knowing, was taken into the White House press conference, and in a hurry, only used a folder to cover her face, making a very awkward scene that went viral online.

U.S. media screenshot

At Monday's press conference, Trump also mispronounced Whitmer's name, but still praised her highly, "The governor of Michigan came with a respectful attitude, politely requested help. She did a good job. I helped her at her request... some legislators support Michigan a lot, but no one has talked about issues like the Great Lakes. Those Chinese carp are very aggressive, they jump out of the water, jump onto boats, all over the place, full of energy."

He continued, "Actually, there are ways to eliminate them, but it's too expensive. And I haven't received a request from the governor of Illinois yet. You know, the problem might affect Illinois more than any other place."

After rambling on, Trump finally returned to the main topic, "I think I won't take any action before receiving a request from that guy (Pritzker). That's my attitude towards crime as well."

Then he played the role of a victim, claiming that if the federal government intervened, it could achieve "zero crime" in Chicago in less than a week. But he didn't want to do it because the other side was ungrateful, and he felt like he was working hard for nothing.

"I don't like it when we solve the problem and then someone comes out and says, 'We don't need the army,' " he said, "She (the mayor of Washington) said last night, 'We don't want the military to be stationed in Washington.' That's not very friendly, I think it's a bit hurtful, but she's better than some people. We helped Los Angeles solve the problem, and then we were criticized by that fool (California Governor Newsom), who messed up California."

Trump became increasingly excited, "He (Newsom) should have thanked us, should have asked us to stay. The governor of Illinois should do the same, Chicago is in such a mess, he (Pritzker) should say, 'Mr. President, could you please help clean up this city? We need help.' They really need help."

In this nearly 80-minute press conference, Trump repeatedly complained that he was not getting praise for deploying the National Guard to fight crime and control immigration, but instead was called a "dictator" by Democratic governors.

"People like Pritzker, we haven't even gone to Chicago, and he already criticized us... Chicago is now a killing field. But they don't admit it, and they keep shouting, 'We don't need him (Trump)! We want freedom! We want freedom!' and even call me a dictator."

Getting angry like a rapper, Trump rambled on, "Many people say, 'Maybe we need a dictator,' but I don't like being a dictator, and I'm not a dictator. I'm just a person with common sense, a smart person. Look at how our cities are now, we send troops to help, and we're told 'You want to control the country.' These people are really crazy."

In June, Trump sent the National Guard to Los Angeles without the request of California Governor Newsom, and in August, he deployed the National Guard to Washington under the pretext of combating crime, which caused strong dissatisfaction among American citizens and Democrats. Recently, during interviews with multiple media outlets, Trump again said he wants to go further, expanding the "crackdown on crime" operation to Chicago, and hinting that he might send troops to other cities ruled by Democrats, such as Baltimore in Maryland.

At Monday's press conference, he continued to emphasize that Chicago "needs urgent help," and said that crime management in Washington "has achieved significant results."

"Washington D.C. has had no murders for 11 consecutive days... When I gave a speech earlier, I didn't know how to say it. Because it's a great achievement, a good thing, but it sounds awkward," he said, "Imagine, if someone came from a country that is well-governed with almost no murders, and they heard 'I am proud to announce that there were no murders in the nation's capital this week,' how strange would that sound?"

Despite Trump repeatedly stating that "he will only act upon a governor's proactive request," The Washington Post reported on the 23rd that the U.S. Department of Defense has been developing plans to deploy military forces to Chicago to assist in crime prevention in recent weeks, including possibly sending thousands of National Guard members as early as September.

According to Reuters, as part of Trump's "fight crime" campaign, National Guard members patrolling Washington will begin carrying weapons starting at night on the 24th. An anonymous official revealed that the number of personnel carrying weapons has not been determined, and they will be equipped with M17 pistols or M4 rifles.

The National Guard task force that took over Washington issued a written statement clarifying that the guardsmen "will use weapons only as a last resort when facing an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm."

On the 25th, NBC reported that Defense Secretary Austin ordered the approval of approximately 2,200 National Guard members carrying weapons, marking a shift in the mission of National Guard members toward a more deterrent approach.

However, Reuters pointed out that Washington, as a federal district, grants the president special authority over its police, allowing him to take over law enforcement within 30 days; but for cities such as Chicago and Baltimore governed by Democratic administrations, Trump does not have similar power.

Earlier this year, Trump used the authority granted by Title 10, Section 12406 of the U.S. Code, which allows the president to deploy troops to "repel an invasion, quell a rebellion, or enforce the law," and sent the National Guard to Los Angeles despite opposition from California Governor Newsom, causing continuous opposition from local residents.

The report suggests that if Trump once again uses this provision to forcibly send National Guard units provided by Republican states into Democratic cities, it will inevitably trigger greater political and judicial disputes.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Net. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7542762007276175926/

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