Trump To Expand Federal Surge To Two Additional Blue Cities

President Donald Trump announced Friday that he will be deploying National Guard resources and federal agents to the Democrat-controlled cities of Memphis, Tennessee and New Orleans, Louisiana. The announcement comes on the heels of the administration’s takeover of police resources in Washington D.C. and a significant surge of federal agents to Chicago in order to assist with deportation and crime-fighting operations.

Trump made the announcement during a lengthy, in-studio interview with “Fox and Friends.”

“I think maybe I’ll be the first to say it right now again. We’re going to Memphis,” the president said, adding that the city is “deeply troubled” and in need of assistance. “And the mayor is happy. He’s a Democrat mayor. The mayor is happy. And the governor… Tennessee. The governor is happy. Deeply troubled. We’re gonna fix that just like we did Washington.”

Memphis has one of the highest rates of crime in the US, with 2,501 violent crimes per 100,000 people, according to FBI crime statistics. The homicide rate in Shelby County reached 40.9 homicides per 100,000 people in 2023, representing the largest net increase in homicide rate among large urban counties.

The president did not provide specifics or a timetable for the planned surge, though he did say that the federal government plans to be active in “a few” cities in the near future. “But we’re going to straighten out the crime in these cities,” Trump said. 

He added that he also wanted to lower crime rates in New Orleans, Baltimore and Chicago. For the time being, Trump tempered expectations of using National Guard personnel in Chicago and instead will choose Memphis.

National Guard and Marine Corps personnel have been assisting with deportation operations in Los Angeles since they were initially deployed to quell several days of violent unrest targeted at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

While speaking at a press conference on Friday, Memphis Mayor Paul Young confirmed that the possibility of a National Guard deployment was discussed, though he was ultimately informed of the final decision after watching Trump’s interview. “I want to be clear, I didn’t ask for the National Guard and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime, however that decision has been made,” he said.

The mayor added that he does not believe the National Guard is the most effective way to lower crime rates, though he will work with the administration to make sure the deployment “that “truly benefits and strengthens our community.”

The federal takeover of Washington D.C. was supposed to expire after 30 days, though Mayor Muriel Bowser has indicated that she will be working with the federal government to make much of it permanent after a precipitous drop in violent crime.

Since President Donald Trump took control of the D.C. Metropolitan Police and dispatched hundreds of federal agents and National Guard personnel to the city, carjackings have declined by 87 percent.

Like many major cities across the country, carjacking surged to record highs following the COVID-19 pandemic, peaking in 2023 with 957 incidents reported. The rate had been declining from all-time highs in 2024 and this current year, though carjackings remained far above pre-pandemic rates until the federal takeover.

“Carjacking in DC is down 87%. ALL other categories of crime are likewise down massively since I got involved,” the president wrote in a triumphant Truth Social post on last month. “DC will soon be a CRIME FREE ZONE, in only 14 days, far faster than scheduled. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”