U.S. President Donald Trump will deploy the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee, as the next stop in a high-profile crackdown on violent crime that has already included an unprecedented federal intervention in Washington, D.C.
“We’re going to Memphis. Memphis is deeply troubled,” Trump said in an interview on “Fox & Friends,” adding that the city’s mayor and Tennessee’s governor are “happy.” “We’re going to fix that, just like we did in Washington. National Guard and anybody else we need. And by the way, we’ll bring in the military too, if we need it.”
Trump said the push for Memphis followed conversations with business leaders, including Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena, who told the president that Memphis, along with Chicago and St. Louis, needed help. Trump said Vena described personal safety concerns while on visits to Memphis when he sat on the FedEx board.
Trump to deploy the National Guard in Memphis
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, praised the announcement, saying in a statement that Trump had “answered my call to do whatever it takes to make Memphis safe again” and that she would “continue working alongside the Trump administration to hold left-wing officials accountable for the consequences of soft-on-crime agendas.”
Rep. David Kustoff, another Tennessee Republican whose district includes part of Memphis, welcomed the plan, saying permanent federal law enforcement officers “can work in conjunction with state and local officials” and that he would continue to “work with the White House to secure these important resources.”
Memphis Mayor Paul Young, a Democrat, said earlier this week he had been informed federal and state officials were considering a National Guard deployment and pledged cooperation. “I am committed to working to ensure any efforts strengthen our community and build on our progress,” Young told WMCA.
Residents protested President Trump’s takeover
Trump’s announcement comes after a week in which the president surged federal law enforcement and secured a 30-day federal takeover of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, a move that ended this week. White House officials have defended the D.C. intervention as a success, saying crime has fallen in the capital.
Residents and local leaders have protested and raised alarms that immigration arrests and other federal actions have been central to the enforcement effort. National Guard troops in Washington also have been assigned tasks such as cleaning and beautification projects, and the federal presence has provoked debate over its impact on tourism and local businesses.
The president has repeatedly threatened to send federal forces to other Democratic-led cities, and had publicly mulled a National Guard deployment to Chicago. But city and state officials there pushed back aggressively, raising the prospect of protracted legal fights. By contrast, Trump said, Tennessee officials appeared more receptive to federal assistance.
Memphis is among the US cities with the highest crime rate
Memphis, a city of about 611,000 citizens on the Mississippi River, has among the nation’s highest violent-crime rates, according to FBI data cited by news outlets. The city also faces a high poverty rate, as about 24% of residents live below the poverty line. Trump pointed to previous federal interventions for precedent. The Justice Department sent federal agents to Memphis in 2020 during his first term, and the president has argued that federal action is necessary to protect cities where local authorities have been unwilling or unable to curb violence.
Much like in D.C., the announcement drew a mix of reactions. Supporters said the deployment would deliver badly needed federal resources to fight violent crime. Critics and some civil libertarians warned that sending troops and federal agents into American cities risks inflaming tensions, could lead to confrontations with local authorities, and raises questions about the balance between public safety and civil liberties.
The White House did not immediately provide details on the size, scope, or timeline for the Memphis deployment, or how personnel would be coordinated with state and local officials. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment Friday morning.