# Trump is creating his own gov't-funded personal army of loyalist mercenaries **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [December 31, 2025, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208 "2025-12-31T16:41:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/61 "2026-01-02T01:45:47Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > [Cherry picked](https://www.natesilver.net/p/trump-approval-ratings-nate-silver-bulletin) and not falling > **[Presidential Approval Ratings -- Donald Trump](https://news.gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ratings-donald-trump.aspx)** > > Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president? Gallup is the gold standard and they show him at 36%. Your link doesn’t even reference their poll, but that’s because Nate Silver is a hack. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/62 "2026-01-02T01:57:18Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > > > Justice Jackson will say rising reported crime is not a good enough reason. Justice Alito will say it is. How the court would rule – we do not know. > > We do know, because they just ruled on it. > > [https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a443diff\_2dp3.pdf](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a443diff_2dp3.pdf) > > > Under the Posse Comitatus Act, the military is prohibited from “execut[ing] the laws” “except in cases and under circumstances authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress”. How about the Insurrection Act? From [that law](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title10/subtitleA/part1/chapter13&edition=prelim): > [@](#): > > The President, by using the militia or the armed forces, or both, or by any other means, shall take such measures as he considers necessary to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence . . . Homicide in Chicago sounds to me like it can be sold to SCOTUS Republicans as domestic violence. I think we’ll see, because Trump is not going to forget about this one. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/63 "2026-01-02T01:58:38Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > We do know, because they just ruled on it. What do you suppose stops the president from disobeying a Supreme Court ruling? 1. Impeachment - not likely 2. Enforcement by U.S. Marshals: Federal court orders, including the Supreme Court’s, are typically enforced by the U.S. Marshals Service, which is part of the Department of Justice (an executive branch agency). Not likely. 3. ?? From The Brennan Center for Justice: > ### **Who do courts rely on to enforce orders?** > > While federal judges have clear authority to order sanctions, including fines and arrest, they ultimately rely on law enforcement and federal prosecutors to enforce penalties in the face of continued noncompliance. The U.S. Marshals Service, which is part of the Justice Department, is the [primary enforcement arm](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/28/566) of the federal courts. Courts often rely on marshals to serve summonses, subpoenas, and warrants, as well as make arrests, and [by law](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/28/566), “it is the primary role and mission of the United States Marshals Service to . . . obey, execute, and enforce all orders of” the federal courts. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/64 "2026-01-02T02:14:51Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > What do you suppose stops the president from disobeying a Supreme Court ruling? The fact that the president does not personally execute such acts. He’s not gonna be personally marching down Hollywood Blvd. with a rifle - there’s an entire chain of command that has to get involved. Any government officer complying with instructions to violate a court order would be opening themselves up to contempt proceedings and civil lawsuits, neither of which the president can pardon. Is Pete Hegseth willing to go to prison for Donald Trump? > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > How about the Insurrection Act? In order to invoke the Insurrection Act, there actually has to, you know, BE an insurrection. Petty street crime is not an attempt to overthrow the lawful government, and per the ruling above the admin has not identified any circumstances that would require the military to keep order. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/65 "2026-01-02T02:17:30Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > In order to invoke the Insurrection Act, there actually has to, you know, BE an insurrection. Petty street crime is not an attempt to overthrow the lawful government. Historically, it has been used for things other than a clear attempt to overthrow the lawful government. > [@](#): > > The Insurrection Act has been invoked many times throughout American history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was invoked during labor conflicts. Later in the 20th century, it was used to enforce federally mandated [desegregation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desegregation_in_the_United_States),[[11]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurrection_Act_of_1807#cite_note-11) with Presidents [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower) and [John F. Kennedy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy) invoking the Act in opposition to the affected states’ political leaders to enforce [court-ordered desegregation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_integration_in_the_United_States). More recently, governors have requested and received support following looting in the aftermath of [Hurricane Hugo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Hugo) in 1989 and during the [1992 Los Angeles riots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots). > **[Insurrection Act of 1807 | Application](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurrection_Act_of_1807#Application)** > > The Insurrection Act has been invoked many times throughout American history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was invoked during labor conflicts. Later in the 20th century, it was used to enforce federally mandated desegregation, with Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy invoking the Act in opposition to the affected states' political leaders to enforce court-ordered desegregation. More recently, governors have requested and received support following looting in In ... ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/66 "2026-01-02T02:23:52Z")
> [@rippingtons\_fan](#): > > I just saw in a report from POLITICO that Trump wants a military uniform of his own in his capacity as “Commander-in-Chief”! Has anyone else seen this yet? Googling, I am not seeing it anywhere I trust. That includes [Politico.com](http://Politico.com). ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/67 "2026-01-02T02:29:54Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Any government officer complying with instructions to violate a court order would be opening themselves up to contempt proceedings and civil lawsuits, neither of which the president can pardon. Remember [Kilmar Abrego Garcia](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/16/judge-scolds-trump-officials-abrego-garcia-00355259) and [Daniel Lozano-Camargo](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/06/daniel-lozano-camargo-deportation-hearing-00331228)? ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/68 "2026-01-02T02:33:37Z")
No need to be hysterical about it! They aren’t mercenaries they are employed by the state. They are just paramilitary secret police, nothing to worry about 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/69 "2026-01-02T02:34:41Z")
So natural disasters and massive civil unrest. A slightly higher rate of street crime than normal which is still significantly less than there was in the ‘70s doesn’t rise to that standard. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/70 "2026-01-02T02:36:36Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Remember [Kilmar Abrego Garcia](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/16/judge-scolds-trump-officials-abrego-garcia-00355259) Yes I do. He’s a free man now and DHS is legally enjoined from deporting him anywhere, and he has an active lawsuit pending against the government. And when the Supreme Court ordered him returned to the US, the admin complied. > [@needscoffee](#): > > and [Daniel Lozano-Camargo](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/06/daniel-lozano-camargo-deportation-hearing-00331228)? Camargo was arrested during the Biden administration. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/71 "2026-01-02T02:36:54Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > A slightly higher rate of street crime than normal which is still significantly less than there was in the ‘70s doesn’t rise to that standard. Not to your standard, or to mine. Which is irrelevant. Listen, I’ll believe that Trump is limited by the rule of law when he serves his sentence for any of his felonies. Or pays any of the civil judgements against him. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/72 "2026-01-02T02:41:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Listen, I’ll believe that Trump is limited by the rule of law when he serves his sentence for any of his felonies. Or pays any of the civil judgements against him. _L’etat c’est moi_ does not apply to Trump. It’s not about him being personally restrained, but what he has the power to make other people do for him. And very few people in government, including the loyalists, want to go to jail for him. ---
**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/73 "2026-01-02T03:28:42Z")
I saw it on Facebook and it cited a POLITICO article. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/74 "2026-01-02T03:32:22Z")
Re last post, yes, I saw that. I also saw a link where it was marked as a parody. I’m not saying that everything marked as a parody is 100 percent certain to be a parody. I am saying I could not find anything convincing me it is true news. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/75 "2026-01-02T04:15:37Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Camargo was arrested during the Biden administration. When was he deported? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/76 "2026-01-04T00:19:08Z")
Oh boy. Looks like it’s going better than expected. 🙄 > **[ICE Announces Historic 120% Manpower Increase, Thanks to Recruitment Campaign...](https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/01/03/ice-announces-historic-120-manpower-increase-thanks-recruitment-campaign-brought)** > > U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) today announced that its unprecedented nationwide recruitment campaign has shattered expectations, hiring more than 12,000 officers and agents in less than a year. (Bold in original) > … > After receiving **more than 220,000 applications** to join ICE from patriotic Americans, ICE blew past its original hiring target of 10,000 new officers and agents within a year. In fact, we have more than **doubled our officers and agents from 10,000 to 22,000.** With these new patriots on the team, we will be able to accomplish what many say was impossible and fulfill President Trump’s promise to make America safe again. > > … > > Thousands of these newly hired officers and agents are already deployed nationwide and actively supporting enforcement operations, including arrests, investigations, and removals. The accelerated hiring tempo has allowed ICE to place officers in the field faster than any previous recruitment effort in the agency’s history. > … Whoopee. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/77 "2026-01-04T00:42:27Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > The accelerated hiring tempo has allowed ICE to place officers in the field faster than any previous recruitment effort in the agency’s history. ICE Indoctrination Class, Day 1: There are three things you need to know: 1. Arrest any brown people you see. 2. If they resist, beat them until they stop resisting. 3. Call your supervisor. Congratulations and welcome to ICE! Your badge and gun can be picked up on your way out. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/78 "2026-01-06T19:59:41Z")
> [@rippingtons\_fan](#): > > I just saw in a report from POLITICO that Trump wants a military uniform of his own in his capacity as “Commander-in-Chief”! Has anyone else seen this yet? Why is it that all I can think of now is Hermann Göring? Just needs some more gold. [![](https://germaniainternational.com/Images4/GoringTenOpener.jpg) ](https://germaniainternational.com/Images4/GoringTenOpener.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/79 "2026-01-06T20:18:54Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > _L’etat c’est moi_ does not apply to Trump. It’s not about him being personally restrained, but what he has the power to make other people do for him. And very few people in government, including the loyalists, want to go to jail for him. As I see Trump appointee after Trump appointee appearing before Congress and receiving nothing but frowny faces and stern consternation after lying and smirking before that official body about the laws the appointees are openly ignoring, I have to ask: _What are you even talking about?_ ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208/80 "2026-01-06T20:46:33Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > ICE Indoctrination Class, Day 1: > There are three things you need to know: You people do not seem to understand how the Civil Service works. Workers are not, nor can be selected due to political affiliation. Civil Service employees are not- nor ever have been- loyal to any administration, They are loyal to the Constitution, their paycheck and their retirement, not necessarily in that order. Now, this increase in ICE is not needed, and i agree it is too much. But they are selected for being racist, and in fact racists would be terminated. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-creating-his-own-govt-funded-personal-army-of-loyalist-mercenaries/1026208.md?page=5)