Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., praised President Donald Trump’s announcement that the National Guard will be sent to Memphis as part of the administration’s campaign to reduce violent crime in U.S. cities.
"Today, President Trump answered my call to do whatever it takes to Make Memphis Safe Again, and I applaud his decision to send the National Guard to Memphis following his tremendous success in reducing violent crime in Washington, D.C.," Blackburn said in a statement to Fox News Digital. She added that she will continue working with the administration to "hold left-wing officials accountable for the consequences of soft-on-crime agendas."
President Trump announced the deployment on Fox & Friends Friday, saying Memphis — which the FBI has reported as having one of the highest violent crime rates in the country — would be the next city to receive federal assistance after Washington, D.C. "Memphis is — that's the next city — deeply troubled," Trump said, adding that the city's elected leaders, including the Democratic mayor and the Republican governor, were "happy" with the plan. He said the administration would send the National Guard and "anybody else we need," and indicated the military could be used if necessary.
The announcement follows the administration’s earlier federalization of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., an action that lasted the statutorily allowed 30 days under the Home Rule Act and ended this week when Congress did not extend the president’s control. Though federalization of the D.C. force concluded, a National Guard presence has remained in the city.
Trump said his choice of Memphis came after a conversation with a private-sector official who recommended the city as a priority. The president had previously flagged Chicago as a potential target for similar federal action amid a recent surge in weekend violence there, but said he had shifted focus to Memphis.
Officials in Tennessee had not immediately responded to requests for comment. Fox News Digital reported that attempts to reach Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee for immediate comment were not successful.
The president’s proposal to deploy the National Guard to intervene in local public-safety challenges has drawn both support and criticism along partisan lines. Supporters, including Blackburn, framed the move as necessary to restore public safety in cities they described as struggling with violent crime. Critics have questioned the legality and appropriateness of federal intervention in local policing and raised concerns about civil liberties and the militarization of responses to domestic crime.
Memphis has in recent years appeared at the center of debates about urban crime rates. Federal data cited by the administration show the city among those with high rates of violent crime, though local officials and community leaders often point to underlying factors such as economic conditions, drug trafficking networks and long-term disinvestment as drivers of violence.
The timing of the announcement comes as the administration continues to emphasize public safety as a central campaign theme. Trump has said he plans additional interventions in other cities in coming weeks, and has framed the efforts as part of a broader strategy to "clean up" urban areas.
Lawmakers and local officials will likely monitor how the deployment is carried out, including whether the National Guard will operate under state or federal authority, the size and duration of the force, and how federal personnel will coordinate with local law enforcement. Legal and procedural questions about federal involvement in municipal policing have persisted since the D.C. action, and similar issues are expected to arise if the Memphis deployment proceeds.
As federal and local officials discuss next steps, Blackburn said she would continue to work with the administration on public-safety initiatives. The administration did not provide immediate details on the timeline for the National Guard’s arrival in Memphis or the specific authorities under which any federal personnel would operate.
