Trump’s Police State SIMulation Hit MacArthur Park For An ICE Raid Photo Op
Trump sent ICE Agents into a popular LA Park with horses, machine guns and a camera crew for a reality TV Show?
Yesterday, Donald Trump sent masked federal agents with assault rifles into an empty park in Los Angeles. MacArthur Park. A known gathering place for immigrant families, working-class vendors, and kids’ day camps. But this time, it wasn’t just a raid—it was a SIM. A simulation. A TV shoot. A staged police-state photo op designed to freak you out and get you used to it.
This wasn’t law enforcement. This was a Trump-branded scare tactic, fully costumed, lightly scripted, and filmed—allegedly—for a new reality show in the works between Trump and Dr. Phil.
Because nothing says “God’s work” like traumatizing children for a TV sizzle reel.
LA Gets Raided By… Hollywood?
Let’s be clear: nothing happened in MacArthur Park that required an armed ICE invasion. The park was empty. Why? Because the community had advance notice. Flyers. Rumors. Whisper networks. They knew ICE was coming. The result? No drug lords. No human traffickers. Not a single cartel leader. Just empty park benches, terrified parents, and a summer day camp of children who got front-row seats to America’s descent into a performative police state.
Even the local City Council President said it looked like “a staging for a TikTok video.” Not a raid. Not a bust. A shoot.
And surprise—there were cameras. Dr. Phil’s cameras.
Why?
Because Trump is running a TV presidency again—this time with federal goon squads and full costume design.
Just ask someone who was there:
The ICE Show Is Just Beginning
Here’s what you need to know:
This was a dry run. A propaganda SIM to show America what “tough on crime” looks like when there’s no actual crime.
There was no law enforcement benefit. ICE arrested no one of consequence. They just terrified civilians.
This is a rollout. Trump’s plan includes deputizing 17,000 new ICE agents, many of whom will be private contractors, political loyalists, and unregulated paramilitaries.
They were filming a TV show. Dr. Phil’s new MeritTV is producing “ICE raid” episodes. That’s not a theory. That’s on tape.
Let’s call this what it is: state-sponsored fear porn for MAGA voters and justifying a national deployment of ICE. They’re softening the ground for normalized fascism, and they’re doing it with celebrity co-branding. Think The Apprentice, but with immigration raids and tactical gear.
God’s Work or Trump’s Optics?
Trump said this week ICE is doing “God’s work.” Let’s unpack that.
I like unpacking things:)
If Trump’s version of God’s work involves terrorizing schoolchildren, displacing immigrants who haven't broken laws, and blasting into cities with armored vehicles while cameras roll, then God needs a better press agent or Trump’s God is a dick.
Here’s what God’s work looked like Monday:
Agents in full camouflage, some with faces covered, roaming an empty urban park, rifles pointed at bushes and pigeons.
Trump’s border “czar” Tom Homan giving interviews like it was a movie premiere.
Helicopters. Horses. Riot vans. All for a photo (peep the camera crew following them).
There was no legal justification. No coordination with LAPD. No accountability.
Just raw authoritarian vibes.
And like all things Trump, the goal wasn’t justice—it was optics. An audition for authoritarianism.
Trump and Dr. Phil’s ICE Reality Series
Let’s talk about Dr. Phil. Because Phil McGraw is not just an innocent bystander.
He’s embedded with ICE. He’s been riding shotgun with armed raids. He’s filming “special episodes” for his new right-wing streaming service. He calls it “journalism.” It’s not. It’s propaganda.
This month, Dr. Phil’s crew was on site during ICE sweeps in Southern California. Whether he was physically in MacArthur Park is unclear. What’s not unclear is this: his show will air exclusive footage from the raids, including the MacArthur operation. He’s using federal paramilitary action as reality content.
Let that sink in.
The guy who used to yell at teens on daytime TV is now cheerleading fascism with B-roll. And you’re supposed to feel safer because of it?
This isn’t news. This is a warped reboot of “Cops” with executive producer credits for Donald J. Trump and Phil McGraw.
This Isn’t a Crackdown. It’s a Costume Rehearsal.
You know what this raid looked like?
The Lafayette Square tear gas stunt
The Operation Legend photo ops
Trump’s COVID-era “troop deployments” to Portland and Seattle
The Border Wall reality-show moments in Texas
It’s always the same play: a fake crisis, a real crackdown, and a flood of propaganda content. Trump doesn’t govern. He produces scenes.
Monday’s ICE raid was a live-action sim, rehearsed in front of cameras, complete with extras, costumes, and media buyouts. The result? B-roll for campaign ads. Instagram reels for the MAGA faithful. Justification for deploying ICE as a federal militia.
Don’t Fall for the “Clean Up” Lie
Here’s the trick: Trump wants you to believe Los Angeles is a crime-ridden hellhole and that only he can save it.
But ask yourself: if things are so bad, why stage a raid on an empty park?
Because there is no “cleanup.” There is no plan. Just the militarization of daily life and the performance of crackdown.
The endgame isn’t safety. It’s acclimatization.
He wants you to get used to this:
Armored vehicles in parks.
Masked men with rifles.
Helicopters over your kids’ playgrounds.
ICE agents as camera-ready talent.
This is how authoritarianism creeps in. Not with declarations. But with visuals. With vibes. With “Look at what I did” moments captured on camera and replayed on loop.
A Warning from Los Angeles
Mayor Karen Bass was furious. She called the raid “outrageous” and “a violation of our values.” She demanded answers. There were none.
City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson said the whole thing felt like a “TikTok set.” And it did.
But Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said it best:
“What you see happening in MacArthur Park is coming to you.”
And she’s right.
Because the next park could be yours. The next “raid” could be in Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal. Don’t assume the border protects you from American autocracy as entertainment.
What You Can Do
Call it what it is. This wasn’t a raid. It was a simulation, a staged psychological op.
Stop saying “law and order.” That’s the language of abusers. This is lawless authoritarianism wearing a badge and a GoPro.
Support journalists, not propagandists. Dr. Phil is not media. He’s a brand manager for the police state.
Vote like your freedom depends on it. Because it does. A second Trump term means more ICE, more propaganda raids, and fewer lines between government and TV.
Dean
GardaWorld, a Montreal based security company is sending guards to work at Alligator Alcatraz.
Check mine or WayneHorton's substack for details.
David Rothkopf - 'Need to Know' A Betrayal of Trust, But Worse Still…
Concerning Trump, we have searched in vain for a term that captured just what I was feeling betrayed and let down. Certainly, the president, the majority on the Supreme Court, the Republicans in the U.S. Congress, senior officials in the Trump Administration and members of the media who have defended or sanitized or normalized the onset of authoritarian government in the U.S. have been guilty of a betrayal of the public’s trust. They have been derelict in their duty. They have abused power, obviously we need a new President who loves democracy!
We need our Democracy Back!