The president gave more details on the possibility of him invoking the law.
President Donald Trump on Oct. 19 provided more details on the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act due to rampant crime in U.S. cities, saying it is the “strongest power a president has” and noting that numerous presidents have used it throughout history.
“We want to have great crime-free cities. So, I’d be allowed to use, if I wanted, the Insurrection Act, and then all of this nonsense would go away. You have the absolute right. It’s the strongest power a president has, and you have the absolute right to do it,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.
Trump also noted on Sunday that a number of U.S. presidents have invoked the act, which was signed into law in 1807 by President Thomas Jefferson. The law allows a president to deploy the U.S. military and federalize state National Guard members to suppress insurrections against the United States.
“Don’t forget, and I haven’t used it, but don’t forget: I can use the Insurrection Act. 50 percent of the presidents, almost, have used that. And that’s unquestioned power,” he told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo. He added, “I choose not to.”
Throughout U.S. history, the Insurrection Act has been invoked 30 times, many times to suppress riots and civil unrest, according to a list kept by the Brennan Center. At least 16 out of 45 presidents have invoked the Insurrection Act, although its usage has dropped since the latter half of the 20th century.
The last time it was used was by President George H.W. Bush, who invoked it during the deadly 1992 Los Angeles riots. Bush also invoked the law three years before in the U.S. Virgin Islands to suppress looting and lawlessness after Hurricane Hugo hit the island territory.
Earlier this month, Trump raised the possibility of using the law during remarks to reporters in the White House. It came after a federal judge blocked the president from deploying members of the National Guard to Portland, Oregon. Trump said the city had effectively been taken over by left-wing domestic terrorist groups.
The president has made reducing crime and the mass deportations of illegal immigrants a priority for his second term. Troops and more federal agents have been sent to a number of cities, including Washington, Memphis, Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, and others.
“If I had to enact it, I’d do that. If people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure I’d do that.” Trump said on Oct. 6. “I want to make sure people aren’t killed. We have to make sure our cities are safe.”
