Trump deploys National Guard to Memphis, calling it a ‘replica’ of his crackdown on Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as Attorney General Pam Bondi, from left, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee listen in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order Monday sending the National Guard into Memphis to combat crime, offering another major test of the limits of presidential power by using military force in American cities.

With Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee visiting the Oval Office, Trump said troops would be deployed and join a special task force in the city comprised of officials from various federal agencies, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshal’s service.

He said the goal would be to stamp out crime in a way that he says sending in the National Guard and federalizing the local police force has in Washington, D.C.

“This task force will be a replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts here,” Trump said of the District of Columbia. “And, you’ll see it’s a lot of the same thing.”

The presidential memorandum Trump signed did not include details on when troops would be deployed or exactly what his promised surge in law enforcement efforts would look like.

“Planning is currently underway, and we will continue to work closely with federal and local partners to determine the most effective path forward,” said Lee’s spokesperson, Elizabeth Lane Johnson.

The memorandum also specified that some out-of-state help might be available, including state police in Memphis-bordering Mississippi and Arkansas, and National Guard members from other states as necessary.

Trump said the FBI had already stepped up its recent activities in Memphis, which is majority Black and Tennessee’s second-largest city, and had helped reduce crime, but, “We’re sending in the big force now.”

Shortly before Trump’s announcement, the White House posted on social media that the Memphis total crime rate was higher than the national average and suggested that the rate had increased since last year, bucking national trends.

That’s despite Memphis police recently reporting decreases across every major crime category in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in previous years. Overall crime hit a 25-year low, while murder hit a six-year low, police said.

Still, Memphis has dealt with stubborn gun violence problems for years. In 2023, the city set a record with more than 390 homicides.

Tennessee’s governor embraced the troop deployment as part of a broader law enforcement surge in Memphis, with Lee saying Monday that he was “tired of crime holding the great city of Memphis back.” The state’s Republican senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, joined in the Oval Office as well.

Trump’s action followed him first announcing that he’d soon be deploying the National Guard to Memphis on Friday — drawing immediate pushback from its Democratic leader.

“I did not ask for the National Guard, and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime,” Memphis Mayor Paul Young told a news conference Friday while acknowledging the city remained high on too many “bad lists.”

Young has also said that now the decision is made, he wants to ensure he can help influence the Guard’s role. He mentioned possibilities such as traffic control for big events, monitoring cameras for police and undertaking beautification projects.

At a news conference Monday, some local Democrats urged officials to consider options to oppose the deployment. Tami Sawyer, Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk, said the city or county could sue.

Speculation had centred on Chicago as Trump’s next city to send in the National Guard and other federal authorities. But the administration has faced fierce resistance from Democratic Illinois J.B. Pritzker and other local authorities.

Trump nonetheless insisted Monday, “We’re going to be doing Chicago probably next” while also suggesting that authorities would wait and not act immediately there.

Speaking about a skyscraper bearing his name in the nation’s third largest city, Trump said he “knew all about” Chicago and had “a great beautiful building. I’m so proud of it.”

“But you get less proud when you see all the crime,” he added.

Pressed on if he might send troops into Chicago without support from state and local authorities, the president insisted, “It’s not going to matter to us at all.”

“We hope we have the governor’s help,” he said. “But, if we don’t we’re doing it without him.”

Trump has also previously said he’d be willing to send troop to New Orleans — another Democrat-leaning city in a Republican-run state. He mentioned New Orleans again on Monday, but also singled out Baltimore and even St. Louis as locales that could be in line for troop deployments eventually — though he provided no details.

“We want to save these places,” Trump said.

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Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee.

Will Weissert And Jonathan Mattise, The Associated Press