JD Vance pushed Trump to invoke Insurrection Act to crush Minneapolis protests, book claims

Key Points:

• Top White House officials debated invoking the Insurrection Act following the fatal shootings of protesters by federal agents in Minnesota, but concerns over political and public backlash prevented its use.
• President Trump repeatedly threatened to use the law to deploy active-duty troops in Democratic-led cities amid his campaign to deport tens of thousands of immigrants, but internal memos cautioned that the law was narrowly defined and could trigger extensive legal challenges.
• White House officials were divided, with some arguing the Insurrection Act was unnecessary given the availability of National Guard troops and civilian law enforcement, while others pushed for a stronger military response to protests.
• The last invocation of the Insurrection Act was in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots; Trump’s administration faced legal setbacks when attempting to deploy troops to cities like Chicago, leading to troop withdrawals after court rulings.
• Trump’s ongoing rhetoric frames federal intervention as necessary to maintain order in Democratic cities, warning that without federal forces, crime and unrest would escalate significantly.