President Trump has escalated his threat to deploy National Guard troops to major cities to address crime as the federal crackdown in Washington, D.C., enters its third week. Trump expanded his federal policing push over the weekend by suggesting he would turn next to Baltimore and Chicago, cities like D.C. that are overwhelmingly blue and represented by Democratic mayors. However, unlike D.C., where the federal government has some authority to exert over policing, other cities retain more local control. Trump also controls the D.C. National Guard, while governors typically command other states’ Guards. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), both touted by Democrats as potential 2028 presidential contenders, have rebuffed Trump’s threat to send troops and pull federal funding for their state’s largest cities. The Justice Department and D.C.’s police union released interim data showing a decrease in reported violent crimes and zero murders during the president’s public safety crackdown. The administration envisions the deployment of 1,700 troops across 19 states as a “force multiplier” for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In Washington, the Pentagon says 2,200 National Guard troops deployed as of Sunday are to be armed, even as news outlets report they’re mobilized in the city’s safest areas.
Trump intensifies his push to deploy troops to cities.
