On June 12th, during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Pete Hegseth said he would obey the Supreme Court but defy lower courts should they order the removal of the military from Los Angeles.
A lower court did just that.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles was unconstitutional. Shortly after the ruling, California Governor Gavin Newsom posted a celebratory message to X.
Hours later, a three-judge panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked Judge Breyer’s order.
The appeals court’s short-term block came after an urgent plea from the Trump administration for a ruling, claiming Breyer’s decision represented a dangerous affront to the President’s power as commander in chief.
Anyone popping corks in celebration of Breyer’s ruling grossly underestimated the Trump authoritarian regime.
In a previous commentary, I noted that the synchronized legal language and well-orchestrated response to the events unfolding in Los Angeles suggested the GOP were almost certainly being coached by the very constitutional lawyers who were the architects of Project 2025. The language used, combined with the overall tone and approach toward the situation, was by no means coincidental. Rather, it suggested the regime was laying out the groundwork to justify and declare martial law. A ruling from a federal judge isn’t going to stop Trump. It will only expedite his desire to enact the Insurrection Act of 1807 (Martial Law).
On the evening of June 12th, Israel launched “pre-emptive” strikes against Iran. The United States claimed it was not involved and urged Iran to spare us from the retaliatory attacks. Less than 24 hours later, in two separate interviews, Trump sycophant Scott Jennings and Former Israeli National Security Advisor Eyal Hulata both confirmed to the media that sources within the West Wing told them the denial of involvement “was a ruse.”
Of course it was.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump are cut from the same fabric. They’re both power-hungry sociopaths who are masters of manipulation. In the days leading up to the inauguration, Bebe was in frequent communication with the President-elect. Likewise, he was the first foreign leader to visit the Trump 2.0 White House. Israel has been in lockstep with the Trump regime since well before day one.
Though the administration acknowledged it knew the strike was imminent, claiming the United States was not involved was merely a way to gaslight their base a la G.W. Bush. The MAGA cult is bitterly divided over a potential Middle Eastern conflict and America’s close ties with Israel.
For well over a week, Trump has been flexing his strongman façade, from deploying the military in Los Angeles to holding a campaign-like rally at Fort Bragg that grossly violated the Hatch Act. On June 14th, he stroked his fragile ego with a military parade, which, according to conservative outlet Newsmax, boasted a pathetic attendance of less than 20,000. All of this is intended to strike fear in anybody who dares to say that the emperor is naked. It’s political theatre at its finest.
Trump is counting on Iran to back down and agree to his terms. Doing so would allow him to take a victory lap around military bases and cult rallies, claiming that he alone is capable and responsible for peace in the Middle East. Students of eschatology should note this is precisely the type of behavior that’s synonymous with an antichrist. Students of history should take notice that such behavior is the hallmark of a dictator.
The Israeli attack on Iran was almost certainly orchestrated on behalf of the Trump administration as a way in which to prop up a milquetoast authoritarian who’s dying in the polls. Just as the feud between Trump and Musk was a distraction, so too is the Middle East escalation and the civil unrest on the home front. It’s all aimed at keeping your attention off the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.” Given the extraordinary efforts to distract attention from a reckless piece of legislation, it stands to reason that every American should read the bill in its entirety.
In the weeks ahead, expect many more gaslights to be illuminated at 1600 Penn.
This administration is just as predictable as it is unpredictable. The next obvious move is a declaration of Martial Law at some point ahead of the midterms. Trump and his Congressional cronies are going to even more aggressively push his dictator persona until every American takes a knee, bowing and submitting to his fascism.
Don’t take the bait.
J. Basil Dannebohm is a writer, speaker, consultant, former Kansas legislator and intelligencer. His website is www.dannebohm.com. Mr. Dannebohm is a member of the Virginia Press Association and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. He writes from the Washington DC metro in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
