Trump, Democrats Clash Over Expanded National Guard Deployments

AFP/APP

Washington: Former U.S. president Donald Trump escalated his feud with Democratic leaders on Sunday, threatening to deploy National Guard troops to Baltimore as part of a broader crackdown on crime and immigration.

Trump described Baltimore as “out of control” and “crime-ridden” in a post on his Truth Social platform, warning Maryland Governor Wes Moore that federal troops could be sent in if local authorities failed to act. The threat follows recent deployments of the Guard to Washington and Los Angeles, moves that sparked fierce criticism from Democrats.

Earlier this month, nearly 5,000 Guard members were dispatched to Los Angeles during protests against immigration enforcement raids, prompting a sharp rebuke from California Governor Gavin Newsom. In Washington, Guard troops began carrying weapons on Sunday as part of what Trump called a “federal takeover” of policing in the capital.

U.S. media has also reported that the Trump administration is preparing an unprecedented Guard deployment in Chicago, the country’s third-largest city, though the Pentagon has yet to confirm. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have both rejected the plan.

Governor Moore, who has clashed publicly with Trump in recent weeks, invited him to walk the streets of Baltimore to witness crime reduction efforts firsthand. “Hey Donald, we can get you a golf cart if that makes things easier,” Moore quipped on X.

He noted that Maryland’s homicide rate has fallen more than 20 percent under his administration the lowest level in Baltimore in decades.

Trump, however, accused Moore of having a “very bad” record on crime and threatened to cut federal aid to the state. “I’d much prefer he clean up this crime disaster before I go there for a ‘walk,’” Trump wrote online.

Democrats accuse Trump of using “law and order” rhetoric to inflame divisions ahead of the 2028 presidential race. “Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are trying to paint their party as one of ‘law and order,’” Pritzker said on X. “That couldn’t be further from the truth.”

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