President Donald Trump said he would send the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee, escalating his battle with state and local leaders over high crime rates.
“We’re going to Memphis,” Trump announced during an interview on Fox & Friends. “That’s the next city. Memphis is deeply troubled, and the mayor is happy. He’s a Democrat mayor.
“We’re going to fix that just like we did Washington. I would have preferred going to Chicago,” Trump continued.
The president also claimed that other forces would be sent to Memphis if necessary.
“And by the way, we’ll bring in the military too if we need it,” he said.
TRUMP SEES CRIME CRACKDOWN AS THE ISSUE TO BLOW UP BLUE-CITY DEMOCRATIC COALITION
Memphis Mayor Paul Young previously confirmed that Trump and Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) were considering bringing the National Guard to his city.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who is running to succeed Lee, welcomed Trump’s decision to send troops to Memphis in a statement.
“We are grateful for everything President Trump has already done to Make Memphis Safe Again with the help of FBI Director Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi,” Blackburn said.
“Today, President Trump answered my call to do whatever it takes to Make Memphis Safe Again, and I applaud his decision to send the National Guard to Memphis following his tremendous success in reducing violent crime in Washington, D.C.,” she continued. “Time and time again, President Trump has stepped in to restore law and order in blue cities that refuse to protect their own citizens, and I will continue working alongside the Trump administration to hold left-wing officials accountable for the consequences of soft-on-crime agendas.”
Since taking over Washington last month, Trump has threatened to send law enforcement to multiple Democrat-led cities, including Chicago, New Orleans, and Los Angeles.
The 30-day policy allowing Trump’s takeover of Washington expired on Wednesday, but the National Guard will remain despite pushback from some of the city’s residents.
For several weeks after taking over Washington, Trump flirted with sending troops to Chicago, angering Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL).
