Irish Examiner view: A new battle begins in the United States

Battle lines are being drawn as Donald Trump's administration seeks to tighten its authoritarian grip on the US by sending national guard troops into Washington DC

Personnel in semi-military uniforms including these Department of Homeland Security Investigation officers have been patrolling the streets of Washington DC. Picture: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

As Donald Trump tries to tighten his authoritarian grip on America by sending national guard troops into Washington DC, securing a federal takeover of the city’s police force, and with the Pentagon planning for the deployment of the national guard in Chicago, it seems battle lines are being drawn.

Trump, the subject of increasing health speculation, has thus far targeted areas that voted against him in the presidential election, and has indicated that New York will be next.