With the election just two days away, there is growing fear on both sides that there will be widespread civil unrest no matter the results. These fears are inflamed by President Trump who recently floated the idea at a rally of using an executive order to stop Joe Biden from ascending to the presidency, should he win. Although the legality of such an order is incredibly murky and would undoubtedly incite national rage, there is a very real possibility for the military that they may be called upon to defend democracy and the president. The only question is who is the president they are beholden to defend?
Historically, the military operates apart from the political system. Officers are chosen on merit, not appointed by a president. However, over the past few years, President Trump has appointed multiple military or former military officers to positions within his administration. While this in and of itself is not problematic, the actions of the administration have prompted other current or retired officers to criticize it and President Trump. This increased politicization of the military is highly problematic as the military must function as a unit and not be spilt along ideological lines. Recently, there has also been infighting between top military officials and Trump after comments by the president stated the military prefers to fight wars in order to please weapon manufacturers.
Should Trump refuse to accept election results (assuming he loses), the top officials in the military will face an extraordinary conundrum. There will almost certainly be widespread protest, similar to this summer after the murder of George Floyd. They will have to decide if the National Guard should be deployed or if even more aggressive military tactics are required, all while keeping in mind the optics of deploying a country’s military on its own people.
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