President Donald Trump announced on Friday his decision to deploy National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee, in an effort to address rising crime rates, following a similar move in Washington, D.C., the previous month.
Despite a decrease in violent crime rates in many cities, Trump has made crime a focal point of his administration. His actions targeting Democratic-led cities have sparked protests, including a recent demonstration in Washington that drew thousands of participants.
In an interview on the Fox News show “Fox and Friends,” Trump stated, “We’re going to Memphis. Memphis is deeply troubled. We’re going to fix that, just like we did Washington.”
Memphis Mayor Paul Young, a Democrat, acknowledged the deployment in a news conference and mentioned that he did not request the National Guard’s assistance, expressing reservations about its effectiveness in reducing crime in the city.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, confirmed the forthcoming deployment and indicated plans to discuss mission details with President Trump. He mentioned ongoing coordination efforts among the National Guard, FBI, state Highway Patrol, city police, and other law enforcement agencies.
Memphis, with a population of 611,000 along the Mississippi River, faces one of the highest violent crime rates in the United States, as per FBI data. The city also grapples with a poverty rate of 24%, more than double the national average, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
In 2020, during Trump’s first term, the U.S. Justice Department dispatched federal agents to assist in combating violent crime in Memphis.
Trump hinted at the possibility of sending federal personnel to New Orleans, another Democratic-leaning city in a predominantly Republican state. While he has mentioned deploying National Guard troops to Chicago, no such action has been taken yet.
Trump has justified his actions by citing crime concerns in cities like Washington. Recently, he placed the capital city’s police department under direct federal oversight and deployed federal law enforcement officers for street patrols.
According to Justice Department figures, Washington experienced a 30-year low in violent crime in 2024.
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