On September 12, 2025, President Donald Trump announced a new and controversial move: the deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee. This decision, broadcast live on Fox News, has ignited a political firestorm, drawing both praise and condemnation from leaders across the political spectrum, while raising urgent questions about the use of military force in American cities and the real state of crime in Memphis.
Trump’s announcement came with characteristic bluntness. "Memphis is deeply troubled," he declared, citing FBI data that places Memphis among the cities with the highest violent crime rates in the nation—2,501 violent crimes per 100,000 people, according to the figures he referenced. The president insisted that both the city’s Democratic mayor, Paul Young, and Tennessee’s Republican governor, Bill Lee, were "happy" about the decision. "We’re going to fix that just like we did Washington," Trump said, referencing earlier deployments of the National Guard in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Yet, the reality on the ground in Memphis is more complicated. Mayor Paul Young quickly pushed back on the president’s characterization. In a statement reported by BBC and Benzinga, Young clarified, "I want to be clear, I didn’t ask for the National Guard and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime. However, that decision has been made." Young’s comments underscore a recurring theme in the debate over federal intervention: local leaders often want resources, not soldiers. "Memphis is already making measurable progress in bringing down crime," Young continued, "and we support initiatives that help accelerate the work our officers, community partners and residents are doing every day." He emphasized that the city’s most urgent needs are funding for intervention and crime prevention programs, more patrol officers, and support for police investigations—not military personnel patrolling the streets.
Backing up the mayor’s claims, Memphis police reported that, in the first eight months of 2025, all major crime categories had declined compared to previous years. Overall crime hit a 25-year low, and murders dropped to a six-year low. Despite these positive trends, Trump’s decision was heavily influenced by a plea from Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena, who, according to Associated Press, urged the president earlier that week to address crime in Memphis. This private-sector nudge, combined with Trump’s broader strategy of targeting Democratic-led cities, set the stage for the Memphis deployment.
Governor Bill Lee, for his part, confirmed that he was working closely with the Trump administration to finalize the details of the National Guard mission. Lee said he planned to discuss the operation with the president and coordinate with multiple agencies, including the Tennessee National Guard, FBI, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Memphis Police Department, and others. "We are actively discussing the next phase of our strategy to accelerate the positive momentum that’s already underway, and nothing is off the table," Lee stated. He also highlighted ongoing FBI operations that had resulted in hundreds of arrests targeting violent offenders and noted a record presence of Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers in Shelby County, including a recently announced surge of 50 additional troopers.
Not everyone in Tennessee’s leadership is on board. Democratic Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris issued a sharp rebuke of the president’s plan. "Mr. President, no one here is ‘happy,’" Harris said. "Not happy at all with occupation, armored vehicles, semi-automatic weapons, and military personnel in fatigues." His words reflect a broader unease about the optics and implications of military deployments in predominantly Black, Democratic cities—a concern that has only grown as Trump has openly considered sending troops to other cities such as Chicago, Baltimore, and New Orleans.
Indeed, the president’s approach has become a flashpoint in the national debate over the limits of presidential power and the militarization of domestic policing. Trump previously deployed troops to Los Angeles in June 2025, putting the California National Guard under federal jurisdiction—a move that California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, vigorously opposed. Newsom took to social media, warning, "The President of the United States is deploying the military onto US streets and using our troops like political pawns. DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BECOME NUMB TO THIS." The legal battle that followed led to a court ruling earlier this year declaring Trump’s use of the Guard in Los Angeles unlawful, though that decision was limited to the city.
In Washington, D.C., Trump faced fewer legal hurdles, as he directly commands the city’s National Guard. There, the troops have been used for everything from armed patrols to trash cleanup, without significant legal challenges. But in cities like Chicago, the president has run into stiff resistance. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, have vowed legal action to block any deployment. Johnson, in a statement reported by Benzinga, said, "The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution. We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump." U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, a retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel, also condemned Trump’s plans, raising constitutional and democratic concerns.
Despite the pushback, some Republicans in Tennessee support the Memphis deployment. State Senator Brent Taylor and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn have voiced approval, arguing that the National Guard can provide "administrative and logistical support" to local law enforcement, freeing up police officers for frontline duties. Some Republican lawmakers have even called for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to audit Memphis Police Department’s crime reporting, reflecting skepticism about the city’s reported progress.
The federal government’s involvement in local law enforcement is not limited to troop deployments. In Chicago, the Department of Homeland Security launched a new operation in early September 2025, detaining 13 individuals with prior criminal arrests. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Chicago officials of being uncooperative, telling reporters, "We want Chicago to ask us for the help and they’re not going to do that." The White House, however, has been tight-lipped about whether Memphis officials formally requested the National Guard or what the timeline for deployment might be, leaving many details in limbo.
Legal experts continue to raise alarms about the precedent of deploying military forces in U.S. cities, warning that such actions blur the line between military and civilian authority. The debate is far from settled, and as the National Guard prepares to roll into Memphis, the city finds itself at the center of a national conversation about crime, policing, politics, and presidential power.
As Memphis braces for the arrival of troops, the city’s leaders and residents are left to navigate the complex intersection of public safety, local autonomy, and federal intervention—a balancing act that could shape the future of American cities for years to come.
