Letters from an American - October 5, 2025

Episode Date: October 6, 2025

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October 5th, 2025. On Friday, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported a conversation on the messaging app signal between one of Stephen Miller's top deputies, Anthony Salisbury, and a senior advisor to Secretary of Defense Pete Higgsith, Patrick Weaver. Stephen Miller is the Deputy White House Chief of Staff and is widely identified as the figure directing the administration's attacks on immigrants and diversity initiatives. Salisbury was in Minnesota to attend a funeral. His signal chat was clearly visible to bystanders, one of whom provided images of it to the Minnesota Star Tribune. The two men were

discussing a plan to deploy the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army to Portland, Oregon. Since World War I, the elite 82nd Airborne has specialized in parachute assaults into hostile areas. But President Donald J. Trump had apparently not signed off on the plan. Weaver told Salisbury that Defense Secretary Hegeseth wanted Trump to give him a clear order to send troops into Portland. Between you and I, I think Pete just wants the top cover from the boss, if anything, goes sideways with the troops there, Weaver wrote. Adam Gabbitt of the Guardian reported, Weaver said Heggseth preferred to send in the National Guard, owing to potential backlash over using the famous 82nd.

Eighty-second is like our top-tier quick reaction force for abroad, Weaver wrote, so it will cause a lot of headlines, probably why he wants Trump to tell him to do it. This conversation raises the question of how involved Trump is in the decisions his administration is making about the use of the military. On September 29th, Hugo Lowell of The Guardian reported that Miller has taken the lead in the administration strikes on boats in the Caribbean. Vessels the administration claims are Venezuelan drug boats, although it has offered no evidence either to lawmakers or to the public for that claim. A White House spokesperson said in a statement that Trump directed the strikes and that he oversees all foreign policy. The statement said,

the entire administration is working together to execute the president's directive with clear success. But that raises echoes of the conversation on March 15th, 2025, also on signal, in which Hegseth and Vice President J.D. Vance included editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic in a discussion about whether to strike the Houthis in Yemen. Miller ended the March discussion simply by invoking Trump. As I heard it, he wrote. the president was clear, green light, and the attack was on. As Dan Frumkin spelled out last week in press watch,

Trump has been focused on the misguided idea that Portland, Oregon, is a war zone ever since he apparently watched a September 4th Fox News Channel special report that passed off footage from the violence of 2020 as happening now. About 20 people protest every night outside an ice facility. But while the protesters are insulting, they have been ice fishing with doughnuts on fishing poles. The protests have been peaceful with very few arrests. On September 25th, Trump asserted that nobody's ever seen anything like it every night, and this has gone on for years. They just burned the place down.

These are professional agitators. These are bad people, and they're paid a lot of money by rich people. He claimed Portland was plagued by anarchists and criminals. crazy people who were trying to burn down buildings, including federal buildings. Two days later, on Saturday, September 27th, Trump's social media account posted, At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Christy Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary troops to protect war-ravaged Portland and any of our ice facilities under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic.

terrorists. I am also authorizing full force, if necessary. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Oregon Governor Tina Kotech told Trump his impression of Portland was wrong. On Sunday morning, Trump told NBC White House correspondent Yamish Al-Sindor, I spoke to the governor, she was very nice, but I said, well, wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from what's happening? My people tell me different. literally attacking and there are fires all over the place. It looks like terrible. The same day, Hegseth federalized 200 National Guard personnel from Oregon to protect U.S. immigration and customs enforcement and other U.S. government personnel who are performing federal

functions. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and the City Attorney of Portland immediately sued to stop the mobilization, saying it is unlawful, infringes, on Oregon's state sovereignty and police powers, and would violate the Possecomitatis Act, which forbids federal troops from being used for law enforcement. On October 1st, Trump's social media account posted that in Portland, conditions continue to deteriorate into lawless mayhem. We will never allow mobs to take over our streets, burn our cities, or destroy America. The National Guard is now in place and has been dedicated to restoring law and order and ending the chaos, death, and destruction.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Karen J. Immigut, a Trump appointee, heard arguments in the case. As Alicia Victoria Lozano of NBC News reported, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Eric Hamilton, said that the administration had called out troops to defend against cruel radicals who have laid siege to the facility in Portland, and who this past summer threw rocks at law enforcement officers. Lawyers for Portland pointed out that local police had handled the situation and that the order for deployment had come several months later. Senior Deputy City Attorney Carolyn Turko told the judge, we ultimately have a perception versus reality problem. The perception is that it's World War III out here. The reality is that this is a beautiful city.

with a sophisticated resource that can handle the situation. Judge Immergut said she would rule by Saturday, but before she ruled, Hegseth activated the 200 National Guard troops. Shortly after, Imurgat handed down her decision blocking the deployment. She declared, the president's determination that law enforcement could not execute the laws of the United States was simply untethered to the facts. this is a nation of constitutional law not martial law emmergut wrote the administration has made a range of arguments that if accepted risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power to the detriment of this nation miller called her decision legal insurrection he posted this is an organized terrorist attack on the federal government and its officers and the deployment of troops is an absolute necessity to defend our personnel, our laws, our government, public order,

and the Republic itself. Troy Brynelson and Alex Zelensky of Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that after Immiguts ruling, federal officers showed force. They pushed protesters hundreds of yards down city streets and fired tear gas, flashbang grenades, and pepper balls without. any clear signs of provocation. Brynelson and Zelensky noted that the troops were flanked by videographers, toting professional equipment and wearing high visibility vests.

They filmed from behind the lines of officers, capturing the show of force. At least two drones swept over the scenes. At 7.56 on Saturday morning, Homeland Security Secretary Nome posted a video that appeared to show the federal raid on a Chicago apartment building on September 30th. The video used that raid to show a fantasy military-style invasion that misrepresented the actual event in which federal agents arrived with a Black Hawk helicopter and large vehicles and dragged the unarmed residents out of their beds. Agents took all but one of the residents outside in zip ties before trashing the apartments. Their targets included U.S. citizens and children, some of whom

were separated from their parents and all of whom were terrified. Over the video, Noam commented, Chicago, we're here for you. Later on Saturday morning, Border Patrol agents wounded a woman on Chicago's southwest side. DHS immediately claimed agents had fired defensive shots after being rammed by 10 cars, but no reporter has been able to confirm that story. Later, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker posted that Hegseth had called him. This morning, the Trump administration's Department of War gave me an ultimatum. Call up your troops or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will, he wrote. Pritzker added that the administration planned to federalize

300 members of the Illinois National Guard. They will pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families, all to participate in a manufactured performance, not a serious effort to protect public safety. For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control. Saturday afternoon, a spokesperson for the White House said Trump has authorized the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard members. Later, Pritzker said he had been informed that members of the Texas National Guard would be deployed to Illinois. On Saturday afternoon, Miller posted, the issue before us now is very simple and clear. There is a large and growing movement of

left-wing terrorism in this country. It is well-organized and funded, and it is shielded by far-left Democrat judges, prosecutors, and attorneys general. The only remedy is to use legitimate state power to dismantle terrorism and terror networks. Blocked from deploying Oregon National Guard troops in Portland, the administration on Sunday deployed 300 California national National Guard troops to Portland instead. California Governor Gavin Newsom broke the news, adding, this is a breathtaking abuse of the law and power. The Trump administration is unapologetically attacking the rule of law itself

and putting into action their dangerous words, ignoring court orders and treating judges, even those appointed by the president himself as political opponents. Governor Kotech confirmed that troops had arrived. This action appears intentional to circumvent yesterday's ruling by a federal judge, she said. The facts haven't changed. There is no need for military intervention in Oregon. There is no insurrection in Portland.

No threat to national security. Oregon is our home, not a military target. Oregonians exercising their freedom of speech against unlawful action. by the Trump administration should do so peacefully. Both California and Oregon asked Judge Immergut to stop the Trump administration from taking this end run around her initial ruling. Tonight, Judge Immergut held an emergency hearing on the administration's deployment of National Guard troops from California to Oregon.

She forbade the deployment of any federalized National Guard troops from any state, to Oregon for 14 days. After staying out of the public eye since his performance last Tuesday in front of the nation's top military leaders and the press conference later that day, Trump spoke to sailors in Norfolk, Virginia today. The president arrived an hour late

and delivered a meandering political address much like the one he gave on Tuesday. Letters from an American was written and read by Heather Cox Richardson. It was produced at Soundscape Productions, Dead in Massachusetts. Recorded with music composed by Michael Moss.