At the end of 2025, President Donald Trump made a startling announcement: he was putting his plans to send National Guard troops to three big cities ruled by Democrats on hold.
These cities are Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon. This choice occurred soon after a lot of setbacks in court that made it hard for his government to keep going.
“We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again - Only a question of time!
Trump wrote on social media on December 31 to indicate that he's backing off for now because crime has down a lot in those areas, which he thinks is because federal forces are there.
Trump Announces Temporary Halt After Legal Roadblocks
Earlier this year, Trump declared combatting crime in cities a significant part of his plan for his second term. That's how this whole thing started. He said that cities like these were full of violence, problems with illegal immigration, and protests that occasionally got out of hand.
His proposal was to put the National Guard units in charge of the federal government, which would imply taking power away from governors. Normally, governors are in charge of their state's Guard, so this upset a lot of people.
He wanted to send them in to help federal officials, mostly to defend government buildings and help with immigration enforcement. This move rubbed Democratic leaders the wrong way.
In Los Angeles, everything started in June 2025. There were protests there because of a lot of immigration arrests, and Trump swiftly sent around 4,000 National Guard troops and about 700 Marines.
At first, everything was really tense. Pictures showed soldiers and protesters facing off, and there were allegations of fights. But as courts got involved, the numbers went down over time.
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Court Victories Force Pullback in Portland and Chicago
In Portland and Chicago, military never truly patrolled the streets in the same way. Hundreds of troops from Oregon and other states were ready to move in Portland, but a federal court stopped them cold, saying there was no legitimate need and that it went too far for the president to do.
A trial in November led to a permanent block. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said that her state hadn't even heard officially that the troops were coming home yet. She called it a huge victory for the rule of law.
The experience of Chicago was similar, although it ended on a high note with the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court struck down the administration's request to send soldiers there in December, which is a rare slap from the highest court.
On social media, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker cheered, claiming that Illinois fought back against making American towns into militarized zones and that Trump had to back down.
Chicago officials pointed out that there were only 416 murders in 2025, the lowest amount since 2014. They credited their own police work and community programs, not federal troops that never showed up.
Trump Claims Credit as Crime Drops Nationwide
In his article, though, Trump stuck to his guns and said that the "great Patriots" in uniform were the reason crime went down so much. He said that without backing from the federal government, these cities would have "gone."
Critics quickly shot back. The mayor's office in Portland maintained that any drops in crime were due to local police and safety programs.
Chicago leaders said the same thing, pointing out that violent crime in general was substantially down, with shootings and other occurrences at its lowest levels in years.
Experts said that 2025 witnessed one of the largest drops in homicides ever recorded across the country, with several big cities witnessing drops of 20–30% or more.
Places like Chicago were the best at cutting down on violent crime. This was typically because of stronger police, violence interruption programs, and even just coming down from the highs of the pandemic.
Deployments Continue in Republican-Leaning Areas
In his article, though, Trump stuck to his guns and said that the "great Patriots" in uniform were the reason crime went down so much. He said that without backing from the federal government, these cities would have "gone."
Critics quickly shot back. The mayor's office in Portland maintained that any drops in crime were due to local police and safety programs.
Chicago leaders said the same thing, pointing out that violent crime in general was substantially down, with shootings and other occurrences at its lowest levels in years.
Experts said that 2025 witnessed one of the largest drops in homicides ever recorded across the country, with several big cities witnessing drops of 20–30% or more.
Places like Chicago were the best at cutting down on violent crime. This was typically because of stronger police, violence interruption programs, and even just coming down from the highs of the pandemic.
Future Uncertainty as Trump Leaves Door Open
But for now, he's leaving these three cities. It's a huge deal because it indicates that the president's power is limited, especially in a second term when Trump has pushed the bounds on immigration and law enforcement.
Civil rights groups and legal experts were happy to hear that it supports the premise that states and communities should manage most enforcement, not the federal government turning cities into military zones over everyday criminal problems.
Trump hasn't entirely shut the door on the future. He says that crime will come back much stronger without his severe attitude, and that he will be ready to leap in again.
In the meantime, officials in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland are talking about their own triumphs. For example, Chicago had fewer homicides, but it also had fewer robberies, carjackings, and assaults.
This pullback may calm things down for a while, but it shows that there are deeper problems. With the midterm elections coming up next year, this subject will be hot. What happens next will depend on whether crime "soars" again like Trump says it will or keeps going down.
Charlotte Reynolds
Political Journalist
Charlotte Reynolds is a political journalist with years of experience covering Congress, federal policies, elections, and political strategy. She provides in-depth analysis and commentary on national issues.
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