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President Donald Trump on Saturday said the “only reason crime is somewhat down” in Memphis, Tennessee, is because he sent the FBI and other federal officers to address the “absolutely terrible crime numbers” over the past five months.
In a Truth Social post, Trump added he has done the same in Chicago and Los Angeles.
“But the real work by us has barely begun,” Trump wrote. “That happens after we make the official announcement that WE’RE COMING, and when we do that, as we did in now VERY SAFE WASHINGTON, D.C., the no crime “miracle” begins. ONLY I CAN SAVE THEM!!!”
TRUMP EYES FEDERAL TAKEOVER OF BLUE CITY WITH HIGHEST VIOLENT CRIME RATE IN US: ‘DEEPLY TROUBLED’
The post comes after Trump on Friday said Memphis is the next city he is eyeing for a potential deployment of National Guard troops to address crime.
Memphis, which borders the Mississippi River, had the highest violent crime rate and third-highest murder rate in the U.S. in 2024, according to data provided by the White House. So far this year, nearly 150 homicides have been reported in the city.
MEMPHIS REP TORCHES ‘TRUMP SHOW 2.0’ WITH NATIONAL GUARD, SAYS DC ISN’T SAFER AFTER LAST CRACKDOWN
Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said in an X post he is “grateful for the president’s unwavering support and commitment to providing every resource necessary to serve Memphians.”
“I look forward to working with local officials and law enforcement to continue delivering results,” Lee wrote.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., added Trump had “answered [her] call” to make Memphis safe again, noting she supports the deployment of National Guardsmen following his “tremendous success” in reducing violent crime in the nation’s capital.
CHICAGO CRIME, NATIONAL GUARD PUSH MOVE TO FOREFRONT OF TRUMP’S WEEK
While Memphis Mayor Paul Young said he supports focused federal initiatives, other local officials have been less than optimistic.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris previously told Fox News Digital on Friday the announcement was “disappointing, anti-democratic and violates American norms and possibly U.S. laws.”
“In the short term, the president’s incursion will likely cause confusion and fear in many of our communities, particularly the most vulnerable ones,” Harris said. “In the long term, the mark of Tennessee communities being occupied by federal forces will hurt our state’s reputation for generations.”
Fox News Digital’s Cameron Arcand, Charles Creitz and Peter Burke contributed to this report.
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