Trump faces pushback from Democrats over his expanded National Guard Deployment plans

Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to send National Guard troops to Baltimore, escalating his confrontation with Democratic leaders as he widens his campaign against crime and immigration.

In a Truth Social post, the former president derided the Maryland city as “out of control” and “crime-ridden,” and said he would dispatch troops there if Governor Wes Moore “needs help.” The threat follows Trump’s recent decision to deploy the Guard to Washington, D.C., where troops began carrying weapons on Sunday in what critics called a de facto federal takeover of the capital’s policing.

Earlier this summer, Trump controversially ordered nearly 5,000 troops to Los Angeles to counter protests over immigration enforcement raids, drawing fierce resistance from California Governor Gavin Newsom. U.S. media now report that the administration is preparing an unprecedented deployment of Guard forces to Chicago, sparking vocal opposition from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Trump’s feud with Governor Moore has grown increasingly personal. Moore denounced the president’s plan as reckless and invited him to tour Baltimore’s streets together, quipping on X that a golf cart could be arranged “if that makes things easier” for the 79-year-old Trump. In response, Trump dismissed Moore as “nasty,” accused him of a poor record on crime, and threatened to cut federal funding tied to a collapsed bridge project.

Moore countered that Maryland’s homicide rate has dropped more than 20 percent since he took office, the lowest level in Baltimore in decades. The 46-year-old governor, a U.S. Army veteran and best-selling author, is only the third African American elected governor in U.S. history.

Meanwhile, Trump told reporters that Chicago and New York would likely be the next cities to see National Guard deployments. “We’re going to make our cities very, very safe,” he said.

Democrats argue the move is a political stunt. “Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are trying to paint their party as one of ‘law and order,’” Governor Pritzker wrote on X. “That couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Chicago recorded 573 homicides in 2024, down eight percent from the previous year, according to police data.