Protesters stand off against California National Guard soldiers at the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles, during a "No Kings" protest, June 14, 2025. RICHARD VOGEL / AP
President Donald Trump said he’s dropping for now his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, a move that comes after legal roadblocks hung up the effort.
Trump said in a social media post on Wednesday, December 31, that he’s removing the Guard troops for now. “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again - Only a question of time!” he wrote.
Troops had already left Los Angeles after the president deployed them earlier this year as part of a broader crackdown on crime and immigration. They had been sent to Chicago and Portland but were never on the streets as legal challenges played out.
The president has made a crackdown on crime in cities a centerpiece of his second term – and has toyed with the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act to stop his opponents from using the courts to block his plans.
