US President Donald Trump said in a Fox News interview on Friday that he will send the National Guard to Memphis to address its crime concerns with the support of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.

An article published by the Trump administration cited 2024 statistics concerning Memphis crime to support its decision, such as Memphis having the highest violent crime rate in the US, its total crime rate being 344 percent higher than the national average, and its murder rate being four times that of Mexico City.

Governor William Lee expressed his support for Trump’s attempt to address crime in Memphis, stating it is part of a multi-phased plan to combat crime in Memphis:

For months, I have been in constant communication with the Trump Administration… Our goal is to accelerate the positive momentum of Operation Viper—an ongoing FBI mission in Memphis with a dedicated task force of federal, state, and local law enforcement that has already arrested hundreds of the most violent offenders. To further support this mission, I have authorized an additional Tennessee Highway Patrol surge in Shelby County, and THP continues to work closely with the Memphis Police Department through the Bluff City Task Force.

The Trump administration stated that the deployment of the National Guard to Memphis serves “[a]s part of the Trump Administration’s aggressive push to dismantle the rampant violent crime fueled by failed Democrat governance in major cities.”

Last month, Trump started his campaign to crack down on crime in major cities, starting with Washington, DC. On August 11, Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in DC and seizing control of the city’s police department to address it. Two weeks later, Trump issued another executive order creating a “specialized unit” of the National Guard to further address crime in DC and expand its use to other US cities when needed.

Over 2,200 National Guard troops continue to patrol DC as Trump declares the law enforcement operation a success. Trump initially planned on having the National Guard troops stay in DC only for thirty days, but has decided to extend their stay until November 30. He said that DC mayor Muriel Bowser welcomed the extension and that DC inhabitants are praising Trump’s crime crackdown. Despite this, DC has not withdrawn its lawsuit against Trump, alleging that the deployment of the National Guard without the mayor’s consent violated the Home Rule Act.

Data from DC’s city police indicate that crime has dropped from 2024 to 2025, with DC reaching a historic 30-year low of violent crime in 2024. Memphis’s city police also published data showing a 25-year low of overall crime for the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in previous years.

Governor Lee shared details of the next phase of combating crime in Memphis, stating:

The next phase will include a comprehensive mission with the Tennessee National Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Memphis Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies, and we are working closely with the Trump Administration to determine the most effective role for each of these agencies to best serve Memphians.