1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

Subject: Immediate Response Needed to President Trump’s Escalation of Military Rhetoric and Actions I write to you with deep alarm as an American citizen witnessing the rapid erosion of our democratic institutions under threat from the highest levels of government. Last night at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, former President Donald Trump delivered a speech to U.S. soldiers that was unprecedented, unconstitutional, and profoundly dangerous. While we’ve come to expect inflammatory rhetoric from him, this marked a chilling new escalation. Trump labeled the Mayor of Los Angeles and the Governor of California as enemies and called the people of L.A. “animals.” He encouraged soldiers to adopt hostility toward fellow Americans—language echoing tactics used by authoritarian regimes to dehumanize political opponents as a precursor to violence. Worse still, he announced plans to rename U.S. military bases after Confederate generals—men who led a treasonous rebellion that cost hundreds of thousands of American lives. This is not about history—it’s a deliberate embrace of symbols of white supremacy and disunion. Trump has also deployed 5,000 U.S. troops to California—more than are currently stationed in Syria or Afghanistan—against the will of the state’s elected officials. This kind of domestic military action is unconstitutional and deeply alarming. This is not hyperbole. It is happening. Now. If we want to preserve our democracy, we must act. I urge you to: Condemn dehumanizing rhetoric from public officials, especially the Commander-in-Chief. Investigate the legality of military deployment to California. Affirm civilian control of the military and its nonpartisan duty to the Constitution. Oppose federal overreach targeting cities and communities as political enemies. Our ancestors fought tyranny. Now it’s our turn to defend the republic.