California vs. The Orange Dictatorship

Trump is Turning LA into a proving ground for his authoritarianism

First things first: Donald Trump doesn’t give a damn about the bill of rights, the rule of law, or even his own voters. What he cares about—what he’s always cared about—is power. Raw, unfiltered, strongman power. And right now, he’s using California as his personal proving ground for how much authoritarianism the American people will swallow before they finally gag.

The streets of Los Angeles have become a battleground, not just between protesters and police, but between the state of California and the Trump administration. What began as opposition to aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids has spiralled into violent clashes, militarised crackdowns, and a deepening constitutional crisis. At the heart of this turmoil lies a toxic mix of political posturing, inflamed rhetoric, and a failure of leadership at both the state and federal levels.

Trump’s decision to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles County—against the explicit objections of Governor Gavin Ne…