The president and his allies are trying to frame these upcoming protests as a threat to order. But that’s part of a larger battle over the meaning of dissent in the Trump era.
Since the beginning of 2025, more than 2,500 cities have hosted anti-Trump rallies. The number of protests has doubled since the presidential inauguration. And more people have shown up to rallies in the last six months than in all of 2017. But as crowds swell, law enforcement officials are growing increasingly aggressive and militarized.
In recent weeks, local police in Seattle and Los Angeles have used SWAT teams, flashbangs, and other tactics to disperse protesters. In Texas, National Guard troops have deployed outside a detention center. And, despite the fact that the military isn’t legally allowed to conduct law enforcement in the US, President Trump has pushed for the National Guard and Marines to step in.
These crackdowns are a result of the Trump administration’s high-profile campaign to crack down on protesters and a rise in rightwing activism. The president and his allies have been casting antifa activists as terrorists, and the White House has used immigration laws to threaten legal immigrants and deport student protesters. In addition, conservative lawmakers have pushed to expand criminal punishments for peaceful protesters and impose civil penalties that can trap activists in expensive litigation for years.
Whether the National Guard and Marines are able to stop these upcoming protests will depend on how much pressure they face. The self-proclaimed law and order president needs to show that he can handle a full crackdown without risking ugly scenes and backlash.
About the Author
