It would be farfetched to say that President Donald Trump’s deployment of military forces on U.S. soil under misleading and deeply cynical circumstances was anything other than inevitable.

Trump has never been shy about his desire to suppress dissent, deploy the military and flaunt his tough guy credentials — all to the detriment of our democracy.

During last year’s presidential campaign, Trump explained that he was going to be a dictator on “day one.”

Clearly, we are far past day one of his presidency, but anyone so morally vacuous as to wish to be a dictator for any amount of time is likely to have authoritarian impulses. (Which should have disqualified him from leading our democracy.)

Worse still, Trump wanted to deploy the military to quell the nationwide protests that erupted in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

But back in those days, the guardrails of government hadn’t yet been entirely trampled. Trump was talked back from the ledge by his less sycophantic advisors — who have long since been ousted.

So, naturally, here we are. After months of concerted work to undermine the checks and balances designed to limit abuses from the executive office, Trump has finally engendered the situation he’s so obviously been dreaming of: bringing down the might of the U.S. military on Americans.

Specifically, Americans who don’t support him.

Ever since he descended that golden elevator, Trump has made no secret of his disdain for (nonwhite) immigrants. But the cruel, indiscriminate and divisive manner in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have handled deportations seems like an intentional effort to bait the left, to engender protests and create the circumstances necessary to crack down on dissent.

Of course, it is no surprise that the flashpoint occurred in Los Angeles, one of Trump’s favorite places to hate — a progressive city in a progressive state, and one with the financial and political means to resist him.

The LA protests have largely been peaceful, but as is so often the case during large-scale protests, spats of violence erupted.

The imagery was compelling for Trump: burning cars and Mexican flags.

Importantly, though, these protests were not out of control. The state of California did not request help. Gov. Gavin Newsom did not deploy the National Guard — a military force typically controlled by a given state’s governor.

But Trump, ever the arsonist looking to start fires or poor fuel on them, saw a great opportunity to weaponize tragedy for political gain.

Not only did he usurp Newsom and deploy 4,000 California National Guard troops, Trump also sent in 700 members of the Marines. (The last time a president usurped a governor’s control of their National Guard was during the Civil Rights movement to protect protesters.)

A judge ruled on Thursday that Trump had illegally seized control of the guard and ordered that they be returned to California’s control. But on Friday, an appeals court stayed that decision and left the guard deployed.

It’s hard to see this situation as anything other than a powder keg — that Trump apparently wants to see explode.

The most galling fact about this whole situation — Trump’s unprecedented deployment of the military against largely peaceful protesters exhibiting their First Amendment right — is that Trump has villainized these demonstrators as “insurrectionists.” He has called them “animals” and “a foreign enemy” and equated them to an existential threat to our country.

Not only is this both deeply untrue and intentionally divisive, but the hypocrisy is astounding.

On Jan. 6, 2021, true insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol, attacking police officers, defacing government property, threatening lawmakers and attempting to undermine our democratic transfer of power.

After Trump was sworn in for his second term, he pardoned more than 1,500 of these individuals, many of whom were convicted of federal crimes, including assaulting police officers.

In Trump’s view, these were not insurrectionists. They were patriots. And Jan. 6 was not an insurrection but a “day of love.”

The message Trump is sending could not be clearer. Anything done in the name of supporting Trump — including acts of violence — is patriotic. Anything done to protest Trump — no matter how peaceful — is un-American and a threat to the fabric of our country.

The reality, of course, is that Trump is the true threat to our once great nation.

Protest is meant to disrupt and discomfort. That is how it grabs attention. That is how it facilitates change.

One need only look at the Vietnam War protests to understand that protesting is how those without a voice get a platform and a voice and make change.

There is no question that protesting is an essential part of democracy, and protesting the actions of a government — any government — should be a fundamental right. It is how the masses can make themselves heard.

When these protests turn violent, it is understandable when the government steps in to restore peace. But the First Amendment guarantees our right to protest. Trump’s efforts to intimidate Californians, his telegraphed attempt to create a flashpoint he can use as an excuse to crush dissent, is truly a threat to our Constitutional order and to the foundations of our democracy.

If this is how our leader wants to respond to protests against the actions of his administration, what’s to stop him from deploying the military to “proactively” ensure a “peaceful” election day?

Now, more than ever, we must continue protesting the debasement of the presidency.

We have to protest because the checks and balances of our government have proved feeble in the face of fealty.

Congress has shown itself to be spineless and inept in the face of Trump’s abuses. Which is why it is important that our lawmakers be reminded that Trump does not have a mandate. That Americans will not stand for these abuses. That we will not accept an authoritarian. That freedom and democracy will not fade passively into history.

Gary Garrison for the Editorial Board