President Trump on Friday said that he would send National Guard troops to Memphis, making it the latest Democratic-led city that his administration has targeted as part of a federal crackdown on crime.
The state’s governor and other top Tennessee Republicans quickly embraced the proposal. But Memphis’s mayor, a Democrat, expressed frustration and concern that in the long run the move would not help a city that has some of the nation’s highest crime rates.
Speaking on “Fox & Friends,” Mr. Trump did not say when troops would be deployed in a city he called “deeply troubled.” But he confirmed that his plan included National Guard troops “and anybody else we need.”
Mr. Trump added, “We’ll bring in the military, too, if we need it.” He recounted a conversation with an unidentified person on the board of FedEx, which is headquartered in Memphis, about their concerns about safety in the city.
Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, in a statement after Mr. Trump’s comments, said that he would be speaking with the president Friday afternoon to discuss details of the deployment. He said the National Guard would be part of “a comprehensive mission” with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis police, and state highway patrol to build on existing law enforcement work.
“We are working closely with the Trump administration to determine the most effective role for each of these agencies to best serve Memphians,” Mr. Lee said in a statement. He added, “Memphis remains on a path to greatness, and we are not going to let anything hold them back.”
Mayor Paul Young of Memphis said he had been informed about the possibility of National Guard troops being sent with the approval of both Mr. Trump and Mr. Lee. But after Mr. Trump said on television that “the mayor is happy” with the decision, Mr. Young called that characterization an “overstatement.”
“I did not ask for the National Guard and I don’t think it is the way to drive down crime,” Mr. Young said at a news conference, where he noted that it was not a decision the mayor could make. “However, that decision has been made.”
He reiterated that crime had decreased in the city, which has long been plagued with high crime, and noted the Memphis Police Department announced on Monday what it said was a six-year low in the murder rate. Still, Mr. Young acknowledged that there was more to be done.
“The crime is still too high, and there’s still too many victims,” he said, adding, “My ultimate goal is to make sure that we get a long-term partnership and commitment with the state, federal government, community partners that we are going to address the root causes of violent crime.”
Unlike most of the other cities into which Mr. Trump has either sent or contemplated sending federal agents, Memphis is in a state with a Republican supermajority that has been openly supportive of the president’s agenda. In the interview with Fox & Friends, Mr. Trump acknowledged that he “would have preferred” Chicago to be the next focus for a federal mobilization, but he suggested that in Memphis, “the people will greet us.”
In August, Mr. Lee sent National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. to augment the president’s deployment there. The governor has also sent another wave of Tennessee Highway Patrol officers in recent days to Memphis, the state’s second-largest city, after establishing a dedicated task force to work with Memphis law enforcement in May.
Steven Mulroy, the district attorney in Shelby County, which encompasses Memphis, said he would have preferred federal law enforcement agents instead — “people with actual training in civilian law-enforcement, unlike military troops.”
“We should focus on long-term strategies that will continue to work even after the military troops, and the cameras, are gone,” he said in a statement.
Memphis, where more than a third of the state’s Black residents live, has grappled with high poverty and high crime rates, as well as a combative relationship with Republicans in state government.
The city has also struggled with policing, particularly in the aftermath of the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after a routine traffic stop. Under the Biden administration, a Justice Department investigation after Mr. Nichols’s death found that the police department treated Black people and children more harshly than white people and often used excessive force. The report recommended a series of changes in documentation and training, as well as a court-enforced agreement to allow federal oversight.
Mr. Young declined to negotiate with the Justice Department in December to set up that oversight, and it does not appear that the Trump administration has pursued the matter.
Memphis’s mayor has made crime and public safety a focus in his first term, and statistics show that overall crime rates have continued to drop from its most recent peak two years ago in both Memphis and surrounding Shelby County. That includes violent crime and murder rates.
Republicans across the state — including Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican now running for governor, and Representative David Kustoff, who represents part of Shelby County in the House — applauded the president’s announcement that he would be sending troops to the city.
State Senator Brent Taylor, a Memphis-area Republican, suggested on social media that the work of the National Guard troops could include administrative or logistical support, freeing up local law enforcement officials who are “seeking out lawbreakers and protecting the public.”
But among many Democrats and some Memphis residents, there was deep discomfort with what some described as a performative show of force in a predominately Black city. Memphis, like most of the cities singled out for perceived leadership feelings, is led by a Black mayor, and has other prominent Black leaders in city government. The head of the police department is also Black.
The troops will likely be mobilized under Title 32 orders, meaning that the federal government will pay for their salaries and operating expenses instead of the state of Tennessee, a defense official said.
The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about police decisions and requested anonymity, said details were still being worked out, including how many soldiers would be mobilized, when the mission would start and how long the operation would last.
The details matter to local elected leaders in Memphis. “What is their goal, what is their why?” said State Representative Torrey Harris, a Memphis Democrat, who recounted a flurry of telephone calls Friday morning in the aftermath of Mr. Trump’s announcement, as he and others tried to figure out the details. He added, “we’re all out of the loop of right now.”
In Washington, troops have spent a considerable amount of time on beautification projects and trash pickup, moves that many across the political spectrum have applauded. But they have also appeared in neighborhoods alongside Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents seeking to detain undocumented immigrants, which has heightened anxiety for some residents.
Some Democrats and residents have stressed that Memphis is in a different situation that the nation’s capital, where the president has the authority to exert far more control.
Raumesh Akbari, the Tennessee Senate minority leader and a Memphis Democrat, invoked the aftermath of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, when National Guard troops were sent to the city.
“Those are the extreme instances where the federal government sends in the National Guard, when you have folks deliberately disobeying federal law or you have a period of crisis,” she said.
Right now, she added, “a lot of people are scared.”
John Ismay and Eric Schmitt contributed reporting.
Emily Cochrane is a national reporter for The Times covering the American South, based in Nashville.
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