What did Donald Trump do today?

He forgot he's not the commander-in-chief of the Wisconsin National Guard.

Today, Trump threatened to call out the National Guard to patrol the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin. The city has seen protests, but also unrest and violence in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Trump has no authority to do so. The Wisconsin National Guard doesn't answer to him. They do answer to Wisconsin's governor, Tony Evers, who had already activated them by the time Trump tweeted. 

Trump didn't mention the reason for the unrest in Kenosha—nor did he talk about the fact the most serious crimes committed in Kenosha were the killing of two people by a 17-year-old Trump supporter who attended one of his rallies earlier this year. 

The suspect in the shootings, Kyle Rittenhouse, was "patrolling" the streets of Kenosha last night with a rifle similar to the one brandished by the wealthy suburban St. Louis couple who pointed weapons at peaceful Black Lives Matter protestors in St. Louis. Trump celebrated that couple, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, on the Republican National Convention telecast Monday night.

 

Rittenhouse does not live in Kenosha, or even in Wisconsin. He was part of a self-described "militia" that was roaming the streets last night. Trump has famously praised such groups when the Americans they take aim at are his political opponents.

What's wrong with this?

• Presidents who don't know, don't care, or can't remember what authority they have to use military force are unfit for office.

• One way to get "LAW AND ORDER" is not to encourage untrained vigilantes with assault weapons to "LIBERATE" themselves from your political enemies.