Trump, Touting Success at Washington, D.C., Says National Guard Will Head Next to Memphis

President Trump announced on Friday that he will deploy the National Guard to address crime at Memphis, Tennessee, citing the support of local and state leadership and pointing to a recent operation at Washington, D.C., as a model for success.“We’re going to Memphis,” Mr. Trump said during an interview on Fox News Channel. “Memphis is — that’s the next thing, deeply troubled, and the mayor is happy, he’s a Democrat mayor, the mayor is happy. And the governor, Tennessee, the governor is happy. … We’re going to fix that just like we did in Washington.”Mr. Trump emphasized the collaborative approach, a contrast to previous deployments where he faced opposition from local officials. He added that he would use “the National Guard and anybody else we need,” including the military if necessary.The announcement follows the expiry of a 30-day emergency order at Washington, D.C., where Mr. Trump federalized the city’s police and deployed National Guard troops and federal law enforcement. According to data from the Metropolitan Police Department, the move brought a significant drop in crime. During the three-week period following the deployment, violent crime fell by 10 percent and property crime decreased by 25 percent compared to the previous three weeks. Murders saw a 62.5 percent reduction, with just three reported incidents compared to eight previously, the Telegraph reported.The president touted the results last week, saying, “We have no crime. You can go and actually walk with your children, your wife, your husband, you can walk right down the middle of the street. You’re not going to be shot.” He highlighted his own visit to a local restaurant, Joe’s Seafood, as proof of the city’s improved safety. “I wouldn’t have done this three months ago,” he said.Mayor Muriel Bowser, while disapproving of Mr. Trump’s unilateral action, signed an order for indefinite cooperation with federal law enforcement. Due to D.C.’s unique status, Mr. Trump, as commander in chief of its National Guard, was able to deploy troops without local approval.Previously, Chicago had been considered a potential target for federal intervention, but Mr. Trump indicated he has shifted focus away from the “hostile” city, where local leaders strongly resisted the idea. “I would have preferred going to Chicago,” he said on Fox News. The president said other cities are in line for deployments of the National Guard.“We’ll be announcing another city that we’re going to very shortly — we’re working it out,” Mr. Trump said. “The governor of a certain state would love us to be there, and the mayor of a certain city in that same state would love us to be there. We’ll announce it probably tomorrow, and it’s going to be something where we’ll do like we did here.”

Trump, Touting Success at Washington, D.C., Says National Guard Will Head Next to Memphis

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