Bernie Sanders has always been the politician of note when it comes to calling out things that people in his position usually have too many quid pro quo relationships to blurt out. Recently, Sanders took stock of Trump’s tenure so far and asked why no one in the Republican Party will just come out and call his authoritarian rule for what it is.
The recent federalization of the National Guard in California has slowly become Trump’s final straw in a lot of people’s psyche. The news cycle moves so fast these days, and with that comes the inability to properly take everything in perspective. Bernie Sanders, however—always one to go against the grain — took to X to talk about how Trump has been suing the media, investigating universities that don’t do his bidding, and even recently flirted with the idea of arresting the democratically elected governor of California.
Trump usurps the power of Congress, threatens judges who rule against him, sues the media, extorts law firms that oppose him & “investigates” universities he dislikes.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 11, 2025
Now he wants to arrest the governor of CA.
Will a SINGLE Republican in Congress oppose his authoritarianism?
Gavin Newsom’s relationship with Trump has fractured beyond repair at this point, and the Trump administration is now even publicly declaring that they want to “liberate” LA. But as long-time proponents of state responsibility and smaller government, questions have slowly started to arise around the Republican silence on this entire matter.
Much like the legal maneuvering Trump used in his attempt to suspend habeas corpus, he exploited a loophole in the Posse Comitatus Act — whose main role is to prevent federal troops from being used in domestic law enforcement. The act states that the federal government may intervene in the case of an attempted insurrection, which would explain the framing the Trump administration keeps using when it talks about the LA protest situation.
There’s a broader trend suggesting this is not the first time the world has seen this kind of behavior from an authoritarian leader. History is filled with figures who ramp up nationwide security features and personnel to quell off any instances of criticism. And that’s clearly what Bernie Sanders was alluding to. That this is happening as Trump plans a military parade for his birthday — and is threatening any protesters who have a problem with it — suggests a really grim outlook for the near future.
In the comments, opinions on Sen. Sanders were quite split. One user pointed out that even Elon Musk had to walk back his comments. Some didn’t even bother defending Trump’s actions and instead accused Democrats of also doing this sort of thing for years.
Elon Musk tried, didn't last long. Doubt any Republican in ckngress has the courage for this.
— Chris Summer (@TVision36898) June 11, 2025
Sounds like the exact same things Democrats have been doing to conservatives for years and years!!
— Thomas O'Connor '62 baby, #GodBlessAmerica(@TheyCallMeTomO1) June 11, 2025
Things are moving fast, and regardless of personal political opinions, various groups have moved to court to challenge Trump’s decisions, believing many of them lean on the illegal side. And as the courts hand out rulings as quickly as they possibly can, it seems Californians are expressing their disapproval of the deployment, with 63% of people in the state reportedly against it in a particular poll.
The US has grown extremely polarized. And Trump—whether he means to or not—has become a human stress test of the institutional checks and balances. With every move, he exerts more pressure on just how much the executive can bend laws to its will. Sen. Sanders is ultimately right: this is more than just another two-party political duel. A lot more is on the line.
