Trump is Looking for an Opportunity to Order Someone Shot

Will he finally get his Wish?

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Donald Trump has been dreaming of shooting people for a long time. During his first campaign for president, he theorized he could shoot someone and get away with it. And that was before the Supreme Court granted him immunity from prosecution as a president.

“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?” It’s, like, incredible!”

During the George Floyd protests near the White House in 2020, he asked his Defense Secretary Mark Esper if he couldn’t simply shoot the protesters.

“Can’t you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?

Separately in 2020, Trump tweeted about the nationwide protests. Echoing a phrase attributed to Walter E. Headley, the police chief of Miami, Florida, in response to an outbreak of violent crime during the 1967 Christmas holiday season.

“When the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

Trump hasn’t been shy about his desire to see someone shot. In a perfect world, the victim would be a transgender Black immigrant, which would be the trifecta for him. There has been a lack of recent opportunities to order people shot. Cutting off funds to USAID isn’t killing people fast enough for Trump. He’s taken to creating situations where he might be able to order shots fired.

In response to protests against ICE in Los Angeles, Trump ordered 300 National Guard troops against the wishes of California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Trump is escalating the situation in hopes of fulfilling his wish to shoot someone. His justification is the alleged violence and destruction of property. He is allegedly concerned about the protection of federal and local police officers and citizens in harm's way.

Trump had no such concerns for the Capitol Police Officers injured by the people he summoned to the Capitol in hopes of overturning the 2020 election. Over 140 officers were injured during a prolonged assault, and five deaths, including suicides, were related to the attack. Trump, thus far, has pardoned over 1,500 persons convicted of January 6th-related crimes, including several who committed violent crimes.

Heaven forbid there be any Black Lives Matter protests after the next unnecessary death of a Black person at the hands of the police. Trump might well order drone strikes on American soil. He has already labeled Black Lives Matter as part of a “mob rule” that is “destroying many Black lives.”

When Trump is responsible for the shooting deaths of protesters, he will be aided by Republican politicians and right-wing media in supporting the need to kill and blaming the victims. A Fox News segment I recently watched used multiple occasions to call the protesters “violent” and had several guests within and outside of the administration giving permission. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he’s prepared to supplement National Guard troops with Marines from Fort Pendleton.

“The @DeptofDefense is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles.” He added, “And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert.” — Pete Hegseth

Trump, who has never served in battle or worn a police uniform (although he did attend a military school), is seeking a chance to prove his masculinity. Suppose there were a shooting at a college campus or a peaceful protest. Would anyone honestly be surprised?