By President Donald Trump announced Friday that he will deploy the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee, expanding a nationwide initiative aimed at combating violent crime in major cities.
Speaking on Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Trump framed the move as both urgent and cooperative, citing Memphis as a city in “dire need of help.” He drew comparisons to Washington, D.C., where a similar federal intervention earlier this year, he claimed, reduced violent incidents. “We’re heading to Memphis next because it’s in dire need of help, and both the local leadership and state officials are on board,” Trump said.
.@PressSec tells me that Trump is open to working with Red State governors to go into Blue Cities and fix crime issues… I give the example of Memphis, Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/jQBPh89s0Y
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) September 9, 2025
The president’s decision comes amid his broader campaign against what he has repeatedly described as a “crime epidemic” plaguing Democratic-run cities, writes The Daily Caller. While Chicago and New Orleans remain on his radar, Trump said Memphis rose to the top of the list after a conversation with a business executive tied to Union Pacific Railroad and FedEx. According to Trump, the executive described such severe security conditions that travel even short distances required armored transport. “He couldn’t even walk a single block without protection; that’s how bad it is there,” Trump recounted.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, promptly supported the initiative, confirming that his administration has been working with federal officials for months to develop a comprehensive approach. The strategy will integrate National Guard units with the FBI, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement to enhance public safety and sustain ongoing efforts to reduce crime in Memphis.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young, a Democrat, recognized the city’s ongoing challenges with crime but expressed a cautious stance on the deployment. He noted that the city did not specifically request National Guard assistance but remains open to collaborative efforts that bolster safety while preserving local initiatives.
The move underscores President Trump’s broader strategy of working with Republican-led states to confront crime in cities governed by Democrats. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stressed the administration’s readiness to cross party lines, pointing to what she described as clear gains in Washington, D.C., that could be duplicated elsewhere—so long as local leaders are willing to join in the effort like Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser did.
Critics, however, argue the deployment risks inflaming tensions in Memphis, a majority-Black city with a long history of fraught relations between residents and federal authority. Some Democratic lawmakers and city council members denounced the initiative as political theater. They warned that pulling Guard members—many of whom hold civilian public-safety jobs—could strain resources and undermine community-based programs.
Federal data underscores the urgency Trump has seized upon: Memphis continues to rank among the nation’s most violent cities, with nearly 30,000 reported incidents in 2025. While homicides and assaults have shown slight declines, the city’s per-capita crime rate remains one of the highest in the country.
Supporters hail the president’s intervention as decisive, pointing to earlier results in the capital. Detractors warn that it sets a precedent for expanded federal involvement in local policing, raising questions of civil liberties and overreach.
No timeline has yet been released for the Guard’s arrival in Memphis. White House officials say planning is underway with state and local partners, with operational details to be determined. For now, the president has cast the move as part of a larger campaign to reclaim order in America’s streets.
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