The United States Marine Corps is an expeditionary force primarily designed for combat, so it’s a dark day for the nation when they’re deployed by Donald Trump against ordinary Americans. Marines being deployed on U.S. soil isn’t unheard of, but in recent history they’re generally tasked with disaster relief in the wake of natural disasters.
That means Trump mobilizing 700 marines onto the streets of Los Angeles to battle civilians is yet more proof that America is in deep trouble. Even the LAPD has sounded a note of extreme caution over the arrival of the Marines, saying that they’re not coordinated with police movements and so represent a “significant logistical and operational challenge”.
