“Madness”: A Retired Brig. General Slams Trump’s Military Power Grab

Reveal

The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

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4.7 • 8K Ratings

🗓️ 18 June 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

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Summary

Greg Smith spent 35 years in the Army National Guard. But he’s never witnessed the military used the way it’s being deployed in Los Angeles in response to protests opposing the Trump administration’s immigration raids. On this week’s More To The Story, Smith discusses how the military appears increasingly tasked with enforcing a political agenda rather than defending the Constitution.

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Listen: Trump’s Mass Deportations Are Decades in the Making (More To The Story)
Listen: Immigrants on the Line (Reveal)
Read: The “Twisted” History of Trump’s Legal Theory for Using Troops Against Protesters (Mother Jones)

Read: Confessions of a Weekend Warrior: Thirty-Five Years in the National Guard (Greg Smith)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Not only are people starting to doubt whether the United States military would protect them because of their political leanings, but now people are becoming nervous that the military may be used to enforce a political agenda.
0:18.7	If that happens, Al, the roots of our democracy are in extreme danger.
0:24.5	Despite a California lawsuit, National Guard troops and Marines are still on the ground in Los Angeles.
0:31.4	And they're not just guarding federal buildings. They're spreading out through the city to accompany
0:36.0	ICE officers on immigration raids.
0:38.6	Is this about defending the Constitution or is it about enforcing a political agenda?
0:44.0	My guest today is retired Brigadier General Greg Smith.
0:47.1	You're listening to More to the story.
1:06.6	The National Guard has been around since colonial times.
1:10.6	It's like the Swiss Army knife of the
1:12.6	military expected to cover a wide variety of tasks and skills. These civilian soldiers are called
1:19.4	upon to help with everything from natural disasters to civil unrest. And more recently,
1:25.1	the Trump administration ordered them into the streets of L.A., not to
1:29.6	just keep the peace, but to accompany ICE agents on raids. This controversial move has led to a legal
1:36.4	battle between California Governor Gavin Newsom and the president. My guest today is retired
1:42.0	Brigadier General Greg Smith, a teacher in civilian life.
1:45.0	Greg spent 35 years in the Massachusetts National Guard.
1:49.0	Greg, thanks so much for joining me today.
1:51.0	Thanks, Elm. Thanks for inviting me.
1:54.0	Right now, in Los Angeles, people are protesting ICE detentions, and they were met with local police, the Marines, and the National Guard.
2:04.5	Now, the Guard wasn't called up by Governor Gavin Newsom, but instead by President Trump.
2:10.4	Under what authority did Trump have to order the Guard to become involved and why?
	...

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