[National Guard continues to face off against protestors for fourth day](https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/watch/national-guard-continues-to-face-off-against-protestors-for-fourth-day-241204293887) President Donald Trump is trying to justify his decision to [deploy](https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-los-angeles-ice-protests-military-national-guard-rcna211931) [National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area this weekend](https://www.msnbc.com/weekends-with-alex-witt/watch/strategists-say-president-trump-is-sending-national-guard-to-los-angeles-to-make-a-spectacle-241139781778) by describing protesters broadly as violent “insurrectionists” hell-bent on destroying the city. It’s a dishonest claim meant to delegitimize protest — and it foreshadows a more sinister power grab. Here’s a quick overview of the events leading up to [Trump’s insidious intervention.](https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/california-sues-trump-la-protests-national-guard-ice-rcna211885)