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One of President Donald Trump’s most controversial moves in 2025 was his deployment of the National Guard to several major US cities to provide security for government buildings, public spaces and law enforcement activities, including evictions.
While popular in some areas, Trump’s deployment was met with strong resistance in some cities, particularly in areas with “sanctuary” laws that shield immigrants from federal authorities. In some controversial cases, the president has sided with Democratic governors by mobilizing the National Guard or sending troops from friendly states to blue-chip cities.
In 2025, Trump sent the National Guard to Washington, DC, Los Angeles, the Chicago area, Memphis and New Orleans.
Here are the cities where citizens could see National Guard soldiers on their streets in 2026.
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Members of the National Guard patrol the National Mall in Washington, DC, on Aug. 30, 2025. (Andrew Leyden/Getty)
Chicago
Despite a setback in the form of a Christmas week Supreme Court ruling denying a request to continue sending the National Guard to Chicago, the White House told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration plans to continue working “every day to protect the American public.”
“The President has promised the American people that he will work diligently to enforce our immigration laws and protect government employees from violent riots. He has activated the National Guard to protect federal police and ensure that protesters do not destroy federal buildings and property,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “Nothing in today’s decision detracts from that primary agenda.”
That being said, the Trump administration is likely to continue to push for National Guard troops to be allowed into Chicago and legal action is ongoing.
Louis
While announcing the deployment of the National Guard to Memphis on September 15, Trump hinted at sending troops to the Gateway City, saying, “We have to save St. Louis.”
While speaking to reporters in the Oval Office about the Memphis deployment, Trump said, “We’re going to St. Louis.”
The president included St. Louis and Memphis and Chicago as a city suffering from high violent crime and strict local laws, which need the help of the government to restore order.
According to the FBI’s most recent annual crime report, compiled for cities with 50,000+ residents and released in August, St. Louis ranks among the highest rates of violent crime in the nation.
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The National Guard is seen after reports of two National Guard soldiers being shot near the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (Photo by Evan Vucci/AP)
New York
When he announced his temporary takeover of DC in August, Trump suggested he might intervene in New York, saying, “We have other cities that are worse. New York has a problem.”
Trump also said, “I’ll be looking at New York in a little while.”
At the same time, Trump said, “I hope they clean up.” He expressed, however, that the rise of the position of the Socialist who has now been appointed as Mayor Zohran Mamdani may require that people be sent to “direct the city.”
The president has met with Mamdani in the Oval Office, in a much talked about meeting where the two appeared to have used their differences. Trump predicted that Mamdani would be a “great mayor.”
“We have one thing in common,” Trump said. “We want this city that we love to do very well.”
Despite this, the possibility of sending the National Guard to New York remains if the city starts to get out of control under Mamdani’s leadership.
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President Donald Trump met with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for the first time in the Oval Office in November. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
In Baltimore
Trump also said he would send the National Guard to Baltimore “to quickly clean up crime” if Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore said he needed help.
Moore previously invited Trump to attend a public safety tour of the crime-ridden city in September, saying in an Aug. 21 letter that the event would provide an opportunity to “discuss strategies for effective public safety policy.”
“As President, I would very much like for him to clean up this criminal mess before I go for a walk,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
He accused Moore of having a bad record on crime, “unless he talks about his crime statistics like many other Blue States do.”
Trump added that he did not appreciate the tone of Moore’s invitation.
“But if Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in LA, I’ll send the ‘army’, which is done in nearby DC, and clean up the crime quickly,” Trump wrote. He added that Baltimore ranks among the worst cities in the United States for crime and murder.
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Members of the California National Guard stand in formation during a protest in Los Angeles, California on June 14, 2025. (Photos by DAVID PASHAEE/Middle East/AFP via Getty Images)
Cities in California
Led by Democratic, pro-sanctuary politicians, America’s populous nation has strongly opposed most of the Trump administration’s actions. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been critical of Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer despite ongoing riots and anti-ICE protests in the city.
Without backing down, Trump has signaled his willingness to send the National Guard to Los Angeles as well as Oakland and San Francisco.
“We have some bad cities. Very bad,” said the president. “You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is.”
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Speaking of crime, Trump said, “Then you have Baltimore and Oakland, we’re not talking about that anymore. They’re going too far. We’re not going to let that happen. We’re not going to lose our cities because of this.”
Trump also said, “Look what the Democrats did in San Francisco. They destroyed it. We can clean that up, and we’ll clean it up too.”
Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
