Portland as a Battlefield of Lies - Trump’s Staging of an Internal Enemy

Donald Trump speaks of a “war-ravaged city,” as if Portland’s streets were fields of ruins. Those who live here see the opposite: people jogging along the Willamette River, drinking coffee by the fountain, strolling through a downtown that is just recovering after hard years. Crime is falling, pedestrian numbers are rising, life is returning. What the president describes is not Portland - it is the distorted image of a man who must spread fear in order to govern.

That he wants to send soldiers into the city is more than a provocation. It is a political maneuver that recalls the darkest chapters of his first term. Already in 2020 he sent federal agents into Portland like an occupying army: unmarked vans, people dragged off the streets without explanation, a demonstrator whose skull was shattered by a projectile, a veteran beaten to the point of hospitalization simply for asking questions. The Democratic delegation of Oregon is now drawing the line. In a letter to Trump, Kristi Noem and Pete Hegseth it says: “This unilateral action represents an abuse of executive authority, seeks to incite violence, and undermines the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and states.” And further: “There is no question that another deployment by your administration will result in similar abuses.”

The lawyers agree with the legislators. Just a few weeks ago a federal court found that Trump’s deployment in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act - a clear breach of the law that has restricted the use of the military domestically since 1878. Instead of being called to order, Trump is pushing for repetition. On the ground Governor Tina Kotek and Mayor Keith Wilson say what everyone can see: “This is an American city. We do not need any intervention. This is not a military target.” But Trump needs the image of siege to keep his supporters in line. After the assassination of Charlie Kirk he has intensified the rhetoric, speaks of “anarchists” and “agitators” and announces that he will “make a big number” out of Portland.

The difference between reality and staging could not be greater. While people in the streets live normality, the White House is constructing a stage for the state of emergency. The danger does not lie in Portland - it lies in Washington, where a president is positioning the military against his own population.