During his first term as president, Donald Trump tested the limits of how he could use the military to achieve policy goals. If given a second term, the Republican and his allies are preparing to go much further. They're reimagining the military as an all-powerful tool to use on U.S. soil. He's pledged to recall thousands of troops from overseas and station them at the U.S. border with Mexico. He's explored using troops for domestic policy priorities like deportations and confronting civil unrest. He's talked of weeding out military officers who are ideologically opposed to him. The plans could amount to a dramatic shift in the role of the military in U.S. society.
