OAN Staff Blake Wolf
11:16 AM – Friday, September 12, 2025

President Donald Trump announced that he will be deploying the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee, in his latest initiative to crack down on violent crime.

Unlike the reaction from Governor JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D-Ill.), Trump announced on Friday during a Fox News segment that both Memphis Democrat Mayor Paul Young and Tennessee GOP Governor Bill Lee are “happy” with Trump’s initiative.

“Memphis is deeply troubled,” Trump stated. “We’re gonna fix that just like we did in Washington.”

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The president went on to explicitly state that the feds will bring in the “National Guard, and anybody else we need. And by the way, we’ll bring in the military, too, if we need it.”

???? BREAKING: President Trump just announced he will be sending the National Guard into MEMPHIS

Both the Republican Governor AND the Democrat Mayor are happy with this

"We're bringing in the National Guard… and the military, if we need it." ???? pic.twitter.com/25fB6IopLu

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 12, 2025

In response, Young issued support for the initiative, a stark contrast to the reactions from his Democrat colleagues in Illinois.

“We agree with Governor Lee that effective support for Memphis comes through focused initiatives that deliver results like we have seen with the FBI, state troopers, and other law enforcement partnerships. What we need most are financial resources for intervention and prevention, additional patrol officers, and case support to strengthen [The Memphis Police Department’s] investigations,” Young stated.

According to a 2024 Newsweek ranking, Memphis had the 8^th highest murder rate in the United States, with a rate of 27.1 per 100,000.

“I support President Trump’s decision to send the National Guard to Memphis. I thank the president for his commitment to curb violent crime. It is important for the long-term success in Memphis to have additional and permanent federal law enforcement officers and agents who can work in conjunction with state and local officials. I will continue to work with the White House to secure these important resources,” stated GOP Rep David Kustoff (R-Tenn.).

President Trump also spoke on his decision to shelve federal intervention into Chicago, admitting that he “would have preferred” to intervene in the Windy City. He suggested that the leadership structure was too “hostile.”

Fifteenth War Alderman Ray Lopez, a supporter of the National Guard being sent to Chicago, expressed his disappointment with the city and state leadership, “because it means the citizens of Chicago are going to lose, the victims of Chicago are going to be forgotten and the criminals of Chicago are now going to think they have scared the president from coming here to put things back into place.”

“There is a fringe group in this city who says we do not want a militarized zone. Wake up, people, because you are already in a warzone,” Lopez added.

Governor Lee added that ongoing joint operations between the FBI, state, and local law enforcement have already resulted in “hundreds of arrests targeting the most violent offenders,” while noting that the Tennessee Highway Patrol troops are patrolling the area in record numbers, noting the introduction of an additional 50 troopers.

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