President Donald Trump has issued a new threat to deploy National Guard troops, this time targeting the city of Baltimore, Maryland, in his ongoing push to crack down on crime and immigration.
Trump described Baltimore as an “out of control, crime-ridden” city in a post on Truth Social, signaling that he may extend the use of federal forces to another Democratic stronghold. His comments came just as Democratic leaders, including Maryland Governor Wes Moore, intensified their criticism of the president’s recent actions.
Earlier this month, Trump ordered the National Guard into Washington, D.C., in what he called a necessary takeover of the capital’s policing. The move was met with heavy backlash, as critics saw it as an unnecessary show of force. By Sunday, Guard troops in Washington were openly carrying weapons, a shift from their previous practice of keeping them secured in the armory.
The controversy mirrors a similar episode from June when Trump deployed nearly 5,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles, citing the need to control protests against immigration enforcement raids. That decision provoked fierce opposition from California Governor Gavin Newsom, a rising figure in Democratic politics, and fueled speculation about Trump’s readiness to expand such measures.
Reports have also surfaced that the administration is preparing to send thousands of troops to Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city. If confirmed, it would mark an unprecedented step in federal intervention in urban policing, and one that is already sparking resistance from Democratic leaders.
Addressing Baltimore directly, Trump wrote: “If Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the ‘troops,’ which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime.” The use of a mocking nickname underscored the intensifying feud between the president and the Maryland governor.
The clash escalated further last week after Trump floated the idea of cutting off federal funds intended to repair Baltimore’s collapsed bridge. Moore fired back during an appearance on CNN, inviting Trump to walk the streets of Baltimore with him in order to see the reality firsthand. “This blissful ignorance, these tropes and these 1980 scare tactics” should end, Moore said, even joking that a golf cart could be arranged for the 79-year-old president.
Trump countered by criticizing Moore’s “very bad” record on crime and insisting that the governor should “clean up this Crime disaster” before he would consider visiting. Moore responded by pointing out that homicides in Maryland have dropped by more than 20 percent since he took office, adding that Baltimore’s homicide rate is now the lowest it has been in decades.
Moore, who is 46 years old, is a US Army veteran, best-selling author, and the third African American elected as governor of a US state. His sharp exchanges with Trump have quickly placed him at the center of a national political battle.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has declined to confirm whether troops will indeed be sent to Chicago, despite Trump’s recent claim that both Chicago and New York are “next” on the list for deployments. “We’re going to make our cities very, very safe,” Trump told reporters, vowing that the National Guard would step in where local leaders, in his view, had failed.
But Democratic leaders are pushing back firmly. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson both rejected Trump’s proposal outright. “Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are trying to paint their party as one of ‘law and order,’” Pritzker wrote on X. “That couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Chicago, a city long spotlighted in political debates over crime, recorded 573 homicides in 2024, representing an 8 percent drop from the previous year, according to police data.
What you should know
Donald Trump has increasingly leaned on deploying the National Guard to Democratic-led cities, framing it as a fight against crime and immigration.
His latest threats against Baltimore and Chicago have intensified political clashes with governors and mayors, while leaders like Maryland’s Wes Moore are countering with data showing crime reduction under their watch.
The move underscores Trump’s “law and order” strategy ahead of heightened political battles.
