Trump Claims National Guard Intervention Reduced Crimes in Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles

US President Donald Trump says federal force made the difference. Speaking at the end of a turbulent year, the US president claimed National Guard deployment helped curb crime in some of the country's largest cities before he moved to pull troops out.

The deployments began in June 2025, starting in Los Angeles, after protests linked to immigration enforcement and wider concerns over crime and unrest. Over the following months, the effort expanded to Washington, DC in August, then Portland and Memphis in September, with preparations also made for Chicago.

Trump said the move was necessary because local leaders had failed to restore order. He argued that federal action was needed to protect government buildings and agents, and to address what he described as a national crime emergency.

Now, as legal challenges mount, the president says it is time to step back.

Trump Pulls Out National Guard

On 31 December 2025, Donald Trump confirmed that National Guard troops would be withdrawn from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland. The announcement followed weeks of court rulings that limited or blocked the deployments.

Trump said the decision did not reflect a lack of success. In a social media post, he insisted the presence of troops had stabilised the cities and reduced crime during their stay.

'We are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, despite the fact that CRIME has been greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities,' Trump said via his official Truth Social post.

He warned the pullout could be reversed, adding, 'We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again.'

POTUS Takes Credit for Reduced Crimes

The president has taken personal credit for the improved crime figures. Trump argued that federal intervention prevented further deterioration in all three cities, even as legal disputes limited how widely troops could operate.

He claimed the cities would have collapsed without federal involvement, saying they were 'GONE' before the government stepped in. The White House maintained that the deployments sent a strong message and supported immigration and crime enforcement efforts.

Local leaders rejected that view. City and state officials said crime reductions were already underway and driven by local strategies, not the National Guard.

In court filings, Justice Department lawyers acknowledged that the Guard's mission in Chicago focused on protecting federal property rather than tackling crime directly.

Finishing 2025 With Fewer Crimes

Chicago is on track to end 2025 with 416 to 417 homicides, its lowest figure since 2014. Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said the decline came from coordination and targeted policing, stating, 'Our partnerships, everyone working together, across the board.'

Mayor Brandon Johnson pointed to investments in youth jobs, mental health services and specialised policing units. Officials warned, however, that cuts to violence prevention funding could threaten progress next year.

In Portland, shootings fell by 30 per cent in 2025, with 525 incidents, the lowest in six years. Lionel Irving, director of the community group Love is Stronger, said arrests alone did not drive the change.

'We didn't just arrest our way out of this. It was a collaborative effort,' he said.

National Guard Remains in Other Cities

Despite the withdrawals, National Guard troops remain active elsewhere. In Washington, DC, deployments continue after Trump declared a crime emergency in August 2025, with an appeals court pausing an order to end the mission.

In Memphis, the Tennessee National Guard is still deployed after a judge's ruling blocking the move was stayed during an appeal. Meanwhile, around 350 troops arrived in New Orleans in late December 2025, backing security for New Year's celebrations and Mardi Gras with support from state and city leaders.

Trump has not ruled out further deployments. For now, he says, federal forces stand ready if crime rises again.

Donald Trump