Trump’s Venn diagram of foreign and domestic enemies is just a circle
ALSO INSIDE: What happened when these 20 US Reps visited ICE facilities in 8 states.
Cam here 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on TikTok and Bluesky.
And if you’re looking for a little more from COURIER, Akilah Hughes’ new series, “How is This Better?” explores how to survive life under Trump 2.0, and our docuseries “REPRESENT” follows activist + influencer Deja Foxx’s run for Congress.
One last note before I get to the good stuff: COURIER employees have Thursday off in observance of Juneteenth, so you won’t be hearing from me tomorrow. Below the Beltway will be back in your inbox on Friday!
What Happened
Days before President Donald Trump sent troops into three more states and told reporters the US might attack a nuclear facility in Iran—which the New York Times erroneously described as declining to answer—he published two clips from his speech at last weekend’s military parade on Truth Social, his personal social media site. The small parts he chose to highlight from his 10-minute address help provide a broader look at how he views the military and his place as commander-in-chief.
One of the videos Trump posted was of him reading the oath of enlistment to swear in 300 recently recruited soldiers. It’s rare, but not unheard of, for presidents to swear in new recruits—Obama and Clinton did it on special occasions—but never at a time when, simultaneously, the president has sent soldiers to arrest civilians he’s described as enemies on US soil.
With that context in mind, it seems clear that Trump’s emphasis was more on who soldiers swear to obey, rather than what they swear to defend.
“I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” Trump read for the purpose of the new soldiers repeating it back, thereby committing themselves. “I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me.”
Three days later, Trump sent National Guard troops to Florida, Louisiana, and Texas to “work with” ICE agents as they’ve been doing in Los Angeles, where 2,000 additional soldiers were deployed on Tuesday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has emphasized that they aren’t being sent against citizens; they’re merely there to protect ICE agents. But what they’re being “protected” from is Californians, whom Trump described as “animals” and “a foreign enemy.”
In the other clip of Trump posted from his remarks at Saturday’s parade, he talked up the might of the US military and described the soldiers listening as harbingers of death to any who oppose the United States.
“Time and again, America’s enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you,” Trump said. “Your defeat will be certain, your demise will be final, and your downfall will be total and complete.”
The language Trump used is parallel to how he has talked about taking military action in Iran, as well as taking military action in LA—because to him, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference.
Attempts to Sanewash
Trump praises military force at US Army’s 250th anniversary parade
President Trump military parade speech: ‘A magnificent display’
Trump says it’s ‘about time’ US celebrates victories at military parade
Far-Right Spin
Trump: ‘Whatever danger comes, the American soldier will be there’
This Yale professor thinks patriotism is some kind of hate crime
Los Angeles Lunatics Hang Trump In Effigy, Kids Beat Piñata As Part Of 'No Kings' Protest
Over a dozen congress members denied access to ICE facilities
In 2018, congressional visits to ICE detention centers revealed inhumane conditions of children separated from their parents and locked in cages. The public outrage that came from these visits pressured Trump to sign an executive order ending family separation, weakened his administration’s anti-immigration efforts, and led to electoral consequences for Republicans in the midterms.
This time around, he’s doing everything he can to make sure that doesn’t happen again. But that hasn’t deterred Democratic lawmakers, who have continued to push for oversight visits despite repeated rejections, threats, arrests, and at least one federal indictment.
I’ve been able to find 20 members of the US Congress who have put pressure on the Trump administration by physically showing up at detention centers and demanding entry. Of those, 13 have been denied, six have been allowed limited access, and staffers for New Mexico’s Sen. Martin Heinrich were allowed entry on his behalf.
Here’s who they are and how their visit went:
Arizona: Rep. Yassamin Ansari
Allowed limited access
“What I encountered today was sickening–so many of the detainees shared that they do not have reliable access to basics like food and water or essential medical care when they are in crisis. Detainees described overcrowded, moldy cells, forced and dehumanizing marches outside in the Arizona heat, constant berating from guards, conditions worse than prison.
I was denied a meeting with one of my own constituents with whom we have an open and ongoing case in my office, as well as other folks we were originally told we could meet with.”
California: Reps. Derek Tran, Judy Chu, Gil Cisneros, Maxine Waters, Jimmy Gomez, and Norma Torres
Denied access at three different facilities
“This past weekend, I joined Reps. Chu and Tran to conduct Congressional oversight at the Adelanto ICE Detention Center, but instead we were met with locks on the gate, no answer to our calls, and denied entry,” Rep. Cisneros said. “We have a responsibility to ensure ICE is abiding by the law, but they refused to even let us in. We will not stop pressing for answers.”
Florida: Reps. Frederica Wilson and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
Allowed limited access at two different facilities
“I failed to see any evidence that there were proper procedures in place and that adequate health care was provided,” Cherfilus-McCormick said. “One single doctor to care for hundreds of detainees — with some being forced to sleep on the floor — is inhumane. Marie Blaise’s tragic death will not be a one-off if these cruel conditions persist.”
Illinois: Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Jonathan Jackson
Denied access
"We talked to an ICE officer who refused to identify himself. He was wearing a mask to obscure his identity. We asked for his name. We asked for his badge. He refused," Krishnamoorthi said. "He then called Chicago police to evict us from the property as trespassers. This is federally paid property. We should be able to conduct oversight here."
New Jersey: Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver
Denied access, McIver arrested and charged
“This indictment is no more justified than the original charges, and is an effort by Trump’s administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do,” said McIver. “But it won’t work—I will not be intimidated.”
New Mexico: New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich
Staffers allowed entry
“The agent claimed that a revised ICE visitation protocol prohibited congressional staff from visiting housing units with detainees present,” Heinrich wrote to ICE Director Todd Lyons. “However, the document the agent cited made no mention of limiting congressional staff visitation to empty pods, and it in fact cited to a statutory authority explicitly forbidding ICE from denying congressional staff conducting oversight access.
[Warden George Dedos] told my staff during their visit that the water shortage [the facility had no water for three days] had not impacted their operations, but that runs contrary to what detainees said during that same visit.”
New York: Reps. Nydia Velázquez and Adriano Espaillat
Denied access
“ICE violated all of our rights because as an extension, we are here to defend your rights, the rights of the American people,” Espaillat said. “To have access and oversight to the federal buildings to ensure that everything is done correctly and in accordance to the law."
Washington: Reps. Emily Randall, Pramila Jayapal, and Maxine Dexter, MD
Allowed limited access
“The American people are being told one thing, but my eyes saw another: the people inside this facility are our neighbors, people who we would see in the community, parents, and siblings,” Randall said. “We spoke with a legal permanent resident who is being detained on a 20 year old crime for which he served his time. This is an injustice, it’s unconstitutional, and it’s being funded on the backs of taxpayers. We must continue to show up — unannounced — and demand answers.”
Utah US Sen. Mike Lee
Since taking office in 2011, Sen. Lee has:
Seen his net worth increase from $199,000 to $391,000
Sponsored 1,956 bills
Authored six bills that have been signed into law — half of which were to rename federal buildings
Described a 2023 bill that would expand voter access, end gerrymandering federally, and abolish dark money in politics as “rotten to the core” and “written in Hell by the devil himself.”
Cosponsored antitrust legislation with Sen. Klobochar to break up monopolies in tech, healthcare, travel, and media sectors
Successfully pushed Trump to leave the Paris Climate Agreement after receiving over $250,000 in campaign contributions from the oil, gas, and coal industries
Worked closely with Trump’s team in their attempt to overturn the 2020 election results
Compared Trump to the Book of Mormon figure Captain Moroni, known for committing political violence in the name of Christian nationalism
Fun Facts
Sen. Lee has most recently been in the news for his attempt to sell off millions of acres of public land and calling the suspected Minnesota shooter—who appears to be a far-right, Trump-supporting Christian nationalist—a liberal, mentally ill “Marxist.” He backed down and deleted his posts after being confronted by Sen. Tina Smith. His response to the shooting prompted condemnation from his hometown newspaper and demands that he resign from office.
It’s unlikely that a political nepo baby like Lee will leave office before he chooses to do so. His father was Ronald Reagan’s Solicitor General and was a founding dean the school law school at BYU where Sen. Lee received his law degree. The Senator was also fortunate enough to be elected student body president while his father was university president.
Unlike his brother, a former Utah Supreme Court justice, Sen. Lee went the federal route, nabbing a spot clerking for Samuel Alito when he was an appeals court judge. Alito brought Lee with him as a clerk during his first year as a US Supreme Court justice. The pair aligns almost identically, ideologically speaking. Like Lee, Alito publicly approved Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election, and even flew an upside-down US flag outside his home in support of the insurrectionists after Jan. 6.
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