Trump to Deploy Troops to Memphis

President Trump announced that he would deploy National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee.

The Trump Administration deployed more than 2,200 National Guard troops to patrol Washington, DC's streets last month, citing a need to crack down on high crime rates. The president also sent troops to Los Angeles in early June, putting the California National Guard under federal jurisdiction despite objections from Governor Gavin Newsom (D). The Guard deployment in Los Angeles included 4,000 Guard members and 700 Marines. Trump had been threatening to deploy troops to additional cities, including Chicago.

Speaking on Fox News' "Fox and Friends" Friday morning, Trump announced that he would send National Guard troops to Memphis next, calling the city "deeply troubled."

He said he would "fix that, just like we did Washington." Memphis has faced persistently high rates of violent crime, with FBI data showing it had the highest rates of murder and other violent crime among cities with populations greater than 500,000 in 2024. It recorded 40.6 homicides per 100,000 people – a rate that would make it the world's fourth-most violent country. Yet the announcement came just days after Memphis police reported significant decreases in all major crime categories for the first eight months of 2025, compared to previous years. Overall crime hit a 25-year low, while murders reached a six-year low, according to the police department.

Trump revealed Friday that he had shifted away from his original plan to send troops to Chicago, saying he "would have preferred going to Chicago" but found the city too "hostile" with "professional agitators." The president had first threatened to deploy the National Guard to Chicago in late August, repeatedly calling the city a "disaster" and a "hellhole." Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) responded by saying, "It's disturbing that the President is hellbent on sending troops onto America's streets," and threatened legal action to block any deployment. Chicago police data show the city has seen a nearly 30% reduction in homicides and a 38% reduction in shootings compared to last year.

Tennessee officials offered divided responses to the deployment announcement. State Senator Brent Taylor (R), who supported the Memphis deployment, said Friday the National Guard could provide "administrative and logistical support" to law enforcement, while State Senator Marsha Blackburn (R) also voiced approval. However, Memphis Mayor Paul Young (D) said, "I do not support the National Guard [deployment]."