The title is misleading. Around 90% of the article isn’t about the riots in L.A. or the deployment of the National Guard there. Instead, it primarily focuses on Trump’s military parade and how it may be perceived globally. While it’s fair to note that such parades are often associated with dictatorships and are undeniably expensive, the headline suggests that Trump is exercising unchecked power in response to the L.A. riots—which isn’t accurate. In reality, he has observed the situation while California and Los Angeles County continue to struggle with separating peaceful protesters from looters and agitators. We only need to recall how the Black Lives Matter protests escalated like wildfire...something California’s leadership failed to contain. In conclusion, Trump is not using unrestrained power in this context, and the article’s main focus is on the optics of a military parade, not the unrest in L.A. The title is misleading.