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.
Speaking on “Fox & Friends,” Mr. Trump did not give a clear timeline for when troops would arrive to 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.”
Mayor Paul Young of Memphis, a Democrat, said he had been informed about the possibility of National Guard troops being sent in coordination with Mr. Trump and Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican. In a statement earlier this week, the mayor noted that crime had decreased in a city long plagued with high crime, with the Memphis Police Department announcing on Monday what it said was a six-year low in the murder rate.
But Mr. Young also acknowledged that there was more to be done in a city with some of the nation’s highest crime rates, saying that he supported “initiatives that help accelerate the pace of the work our officers, community partners, and residents are doing every day.”
Mr. Young said that he was “committed to working to ensure any efforts strengthen our community and build on our progress,” adding that what the city needed most were more financial resources, more patrol officers and support to help the police department in crime investigations.
Memphis, in western Tennessee, has a population that is mostly Black.
Unlike most of the other cities Mr. Trump has either sent or contemplated sending federal agents to, Memphis is in a state with a Republican supermajority, which has been far more openly supportive of the president’s agenda.
Emily Cochrane is a national reporter for The Times covering the American South, based in Nashville.
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