The National Guard will be deployed to Memphis, as confirmed by President Donald Trump on Fox News on Sept. 12.
In his interview, Trump said the National Guard would be making its way to Memphis and that both Governor Bill Lee and Memphis Mayor Paul Young were happy about the decision.
In late August, Trump told a local conservative talk show host that other cities, Memphis included, could see National Guard Troops deployed. Near the end of the interview, Trump said he would “think about Memphis,” nodding to his previous comments regarding the National Guard deployment in D.C.
Now, it’s official. The National Guard is expected to make its way to Memphis. Due to the cooperation from both Lee and Young, it’s possible that the National Guard will not face as much political pushback as it did in Washington, D.C. There is no timeline for when troops will arrive or leave Memphis.
Here’s what to know about the National Guard in Memphis.
What did Trump say about Memphis?
In an appearance on Fox News on Sept. 12, the president confirmed that the National Guard would make its way to the Bluff City.
“I am just announcing that now, and we’ll straighten that out,” Trump said after the announcement. “…National Guard, and anybody else we need. And by the way, we’ll bring the military too, if we need it.”
Trump said Memphis is “deeply troubled,” but that both Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee were happy about the deployment.
On Sept. 10, Governor Bill Lee said in a statement that he had been in constant communication with the Trump administration to “develop a strategic plan to combat crime in Memphis, leveraging the full extent of both federal and state resources.” Part of this effort, according to Lee, is an action he called “Operation Viper.”
Is Memphis a blue city?
Democratic mayors govern each city Trump mentioned in states with Democratic governors, who might be less inclined to seek the Trump administration’s help compared to Republican governors, who are political allies of the president.
“Other cities are hopefully watching this…. And maybe they’ll self-clean up,” Trump said, adding they could be targeted if “they don’t learn their lesson” and study his administration’s moves in Washington. He said he plans to look at New York City next, “and if we need to, we’re going to do the same thing in Chicago.”
For the most part, Memphis is a Democratic city with Democratic leaders. Both the Mayor of Memphis, Paul Young, and the Mayor of Shelby County, Lee Harris, are members of the Democratic Party.
Despite having multiple Democratic leaders in place, Memphis is a part of Tennessee, which currently has a Republican Governor. What makes Memphis a good landing city is that Lee has openly supported Trump and his administration for years, meaning there will not be much opposition from the governor when it comes to deploying the National Guard.
Who is the mayor of Memphis? What did he say about the National Guard?
Mayor Paul Young was born and raised in Memphis. He and his wife, Dr. Jamila Smith-Young, are Memphis natives and are raising their daughter and son in the city where they grew up. Young was 43 years old when he was elected to office.
Young stated that he was informed earlier this week that Governor Bill Lee and President Donald Trump were considering deploying the National Guard to Memphis and that he would work to ensure the placement of troops would strengthen and benefit the Memphis community.
What is Memphis’ crime rate?
It’s no secret that Memphis is a hub of crime in the nation, and when looking at the National Guard’s placement in Washington, D.C., it makes sense as to why Memphis is next on the list.
In a May interview on FOX News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures, FBI Director Kash Patel said Memphis was the homicide capital of America based on per capita crimes. In the same interview, Patel also stated that the FBI was establishing a task force in Memphis to address the issue.
Despite the FBI’s efforts to examine the crime rate in Memphis, crime had already been on a downward trend by the time Patel had his interview, a trend that has continued this year.
Among major cities in the United States, Washington, D.C. has relatively high rates of violent crime and murder, but compared to Memphis, the crime rate is about half for overall and violent crimes.
Washington, D.C., has a population of 689,545, according to the United States Census Bureau, while Memphis has a population of 633,104. Despite these similar population sizes, Memphis’ violent crime rate is 2,501 per 100,000 people compared to Washington’s 926. This is almost three times the rate of Washington’s violent crime.
Another category where Memphis exceeds Washington is the rate of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter. Washington’s rate was 25.5 per 100,000 people in 2024, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program data. Memphis’ murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate was 40.6.
According to the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission, overall crime from January to June 2025 has decreased by 15.7% compared to the same period in 2024. Violent crime in the same period decreased by 17.4%.
Trump’s National Guard executive order
An executive order that Trump issued at the end of August directs the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, to assign Guard contingents in each state to assist with policing and to establish a “specialized” unit within the D.C. Guard “dedicated to ensuring public safety and order in the Nation’s capital.” It also creates a Guard “quick reaction force” that can be deployed nationwide, making deployment into a city like Memphis easier.
The executive order directs Hegseth to “immediately create and begin training, manning, hiring, and equipping a specialized unit within the District of Columbia National Guard… that is dedicated to ensuring public safety and order in the Nation’s capital.” Members of the unit could be deputized to “enforce Federal law.”
Trump’s order also instructs Hegseth to make sure that the National Guard in each state is adequately trained and equipped to address civil disturbances and maintain public safety and order. The order aims to have a designated group of National Guard members in each state who are readily available for rapid mobilization for these purposes.
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Is Memphis a blue city? What to know as Trump deploys National Guard