US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that his administration is withdrawing National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, while cautioning that federal forces could be sent back if crime levels rise again. In a post on his social media platform, Trump claimed that the presence of the Guard had played a key role in reducing crime in the three cities and warned that the pullback could be reversed if conditions worsened in the future.
“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 the federal government would not hesitate to return “in a much different and stronger form” if crime were to increase again, saying it was “only a question of time.”
The deployment of federal forces has been a major point of conflict between the Trump administration and local leaders in Democratic-run cities. Mayors and governors in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland have consistently argued that the presence of National Guard troops was unnecessary and driven more by political messaging than by real security needs. They have maintained that local law enforcement was capable of handling public safety without federal intervention.
Democratic officials have accused the White House of overstepping its authority, alleging that isolated incidents of unrest were exaggerated to justify the deployment of troops. They also argued that the move was intended to project a tough-on-crime image rather than address actual conditions on the ground. Several city governments challenged the deployments in court, saying the federal government had no legal basis for sending troops without state consent.
Trump, however, has repeatedly defended the decision, insisting that federal action was required to restore order and protect federal buildings and personnel. He has argued that local governments failed to control crime and unrest, leaving Washington with no choice but to intervene.
Courts reviewing the legal challenges largely sided with city governments. Judges ruled that the administration had not demonstrated an immediate threat that would justify federal intervention and found that the deployments exceeded federal authority. In multiple cases, courts said there was insufficient evidence to support claims that National Guard troops were needed to prevent violence or protect federal property.
The troop deployments began in June during protests linked to Trump’s immigration policies and broader demonstrations against federal actions. While the administration portrayed the situation as a major law-and-order crisis, critics pointed out that most protests were peaceful and that crime data did not support claims of widespread disorder. Similar deployments were also made in Washington, DC, where Trump temporarily took control of local law enforcement, again citing crime concerns that local data did not substantiate.
In recent months, the presence of federal troops had already been reduced as legal challenges mounted and operational questions remained unresolved. Wednesday’s announcement formalizes that withdrawal, bringing an end—for now—to a controversial chapter in the administration’s domestic security policy, even as Trump left open the possibility of renewed deployments if he deems them necessary in the future.
