President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he is withdrawing National Guard troops from several major Democratic-run cities, while warning that the move is temporary and that federal forces will be sent back if crime surges again.
In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said National Guard units are being pulled from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, cities that have been at the center of ongoing clashes between the White House and local leaders over immigration enforcement, crime, and protests. Trump argued that the presence of federal troops had significantly reduced crime, even as Democratic mayors and governors pushed for their removal.
The announcement comes amid a wave of legal challenges from cities and states objecting to the deployment of National Guard troops and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Trump had failed to demonstrate the “exceptional” circumstances required to federalize the National Guard in Chicago, limiting the administration’s authority in that specific case.
Despite that ruling, Trump framed the withdrawal as a concession to local officials rather than a retreat from his law-and-order agenda. In his post, Trump said the Guard’s presence had made a clear difference on the ground and credited the troops with preventing chaos in cities he described as spiraling out of control.
“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, and ONLY by that fact,” Trump wrote. He added that without federal intervention, those cities would have been “GONE.”
Trump made clear he expects the situation to deteriorate again under Democratic leadership. “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again – Only a question of time!” he said, predicting a return of federal forces if local governments fail to maintain order.
The president also used the post to blast what he called “greatly incompetent” Democratic mayors and governors, saying it was hard to believe they would want the National Guard to leave given what he described as significant progress in reducing crime.
“It is hard to believe that these Democrat Mayors and Governors… would want us to leave, especially considering the great progress that has been made???” Trump wrote.
The dispute highlights the broader fight between the Trump administration and progressive city leaders who oppose federal involvement in local policing and immigration enforcement. Trump has repeatedly argued that Democratic-run cities have allowed crime and disorder to flourish, forcing the federal government to step in to protect residents and restore public safety.
Local officials, meanwhile, have accused the administration of overreach and politicizing law enforcement, filing lawsuits to block federal action. The Supreme Court’s recent decision provided those cities with a legal win, though Trump’s comments suggest he views the ruling as a procedural setback rather than a rejection of his core approach.
Trump’s warning that federal forces will return underscores his belief that the underlying problems in these cities remain unresolved. By tying the withdrawal directly to his prediction of future crime spikes, the president positioned himself as reluctantly stepping back while placing responsibility squarely on Democratic leaders.
For Trump supporters, the move reinforces his long-running argument that strong federal action is necessary to rein in crime when local governments fail. For critics, it marks another flashpoint in the ongoing battle over states’ rights, public safety, and presidential authority.
Either way, Trump’s message was unmistakable: the National Guard may be leaving for now, but if crime rises again, he intends to send them back — and, as he put it, in a “much different and stronger form.”
[READ MORE: Grenell Calls Out Media as Artist Boycotts Rock Trump-Branded Kennedy Center]
