Trump signs order to deploy National Guard to Memphis
Trump to send National Guard troops to Memphis
President Donald Trump announced Friday that he will send National Guard troops to Memphis as part of his crackdown on crime across the US. LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow spoke with Jeff Wenninger of Law Enforcement Consultants to discuss what Tennessee will see on the ground in the coming days and weeks.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump signed an order on Monday to deploy federal resources, including the National Guard, to Memphis.
This comes amid the Trump administration’s push to combat crime by using military force on American cities.
Trump to deploy National Guard to Memphis
What they're saying:
Trump hosted Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in the Oval Office on Monday after he suggested that he was ready to send the National Guard into Memphis.
Trump called what’s coming a "replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts" in Washington.
Trump said that, in addition to troops, the push in Memphis would involve officials from various federal agencies, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshall's service: "We’re sending in the big force now."
The backstory:
On Friday, Trump said, "Memphis is deeply troubled" and added, "We’re going to fix that just like we did Washington."
Speaking on Fox News Channel, Trump said "the mayor is happy" and "the governor is happy" about the pending deployment.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs a Presidential Memorandum in the Oval Office on September 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Shortly before the meeting with Lee began, the White House said 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.
Despite the overall decrease, Memphis has dealt with gun violence problems for years. In 2023, the city set a record with more than 390 homicides.
National Guard sends National Guard troops to Washington
The backstory:
Trump last month deployed National Guard troops to Washington and federalized the city’s police force in a crackdown he has since argued reduced crime.
Tennessee’s Republican governor embraced the troop deployment as part of a broader law enforcement surge in Memphis.
Meanwhile, Trump’s desire to bring in the National Guard drew pushback from Memphis Mayor Paul Young.
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"I did not ask for the National Guard, and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime," Young told a news conference Friday while acknowledging the city remained high on too many "bad lists."
Speculation had centered 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 said Monday, "We’re going to be doing Chicago probably next," but also suggested that authorities would wait and not act immediately there.
The Source: The information for this story was provided by Trump's meeting in the Oval Office on Sept. 15, 2025. The Associated Press contributed. This story was reported from Los Angeles.