President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he is suspending his campaign to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon, following a series of courtroom losses that stalled the initiative.
While the troops are standing down, the President framed the withdrawal as a temporary tactical pause rather than a concession.
“We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again – Only a question of time!” Trump declared in a social media post.
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The decision marks the culmination of a months-long standoff between the White House and Democratic state leaders. Governors typically hold authority over their state’s National Guard, but Trump federalized troops in these specific cities against local wishes, citing a need to combat immigration and crime.
“Forced to Stand Down”
The retreat comes after federal courts consistently sided with state officials. In December, the Supreme Court dealt a significant blow to the administration by refusing to allow deployments in the Chicago area.
Democratic Governors were quick to claim victory on Wednesday.
“Trump lost in court when Illinois stood up against his attempt to militarize American cities with the National Guard,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on X. “Now Trump is forced to stand down.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who regained control of his state’s Guard following a Wednesday order from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, echoed the sentiment: “About time [Trump] admitted defeat. We’ve said it from day one: the federal takeover of California’s National Guard is illegal.”
In Oregon, where a federal judge had already barred troops from street operations, Gov. Tina Kotek called the move a win for the rule of law.
The Crime Debate
A central point of contention has been the effectiveness of the federal presence. Trump claimed the troops were responsible for dipping crime rates, even in cities where legal challenges prevented them from actively patrolling.
Local officials disputed this, crediting their own public safety programs. Chicago officials noted the city recorded 416 homicides in 2025—its lowest number since 2014—despite the federal troops never actually taking to the streets due to the litigation. Similarly, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson’s office attributed safety improvements to local police efforts.
Deployments Continue Elsewhere
While the initiative has been scrapped in the three West Coast and Midwest hubs, National Guard troops remain active in other jurisdictions where local leadership is more supportive or legal challenges have failed.
- Washington, D.C.: Troops remain deployed following a paused lower court ruling regarding Trump’s “crime emergency” declaration.
- Memphis: A deployment supported by Tennessee’s Republican Governor Bill Lee continues, despite objections from local Democratic officials.
- New Orleans: Roughly 350 troops arrived Tuesday to assist with Mardi Gras security, a move welcomed by both the Republican governor and the city’s Democratic mayor.
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