Memphis Mayor Paul Young refuted President Trump’s claim that he was “happy” about a National Guard deployment to his city, saying in a CNN interview, “I’m certainly not happy.”
Trump floated the deployment going beyond the National Guard to include “the military” if needed.
Driving the news: Young, who confirmed on CNN’s “First of All” with Victor Blackwell that he did not want Guard personnel marching in Memphis, said he learned early last week from Gov.
Catch up quick: Trump announced Friday that “we’re going to Memphis,” saying, “the mayor is happy” and the “governor is happy.”
The president had faced criticism for threatening to send the Guard to blue cities in blue states while saying little about cities with high crime rates in red states, Axios’ Russell Contreras reported.
“I am definitely not happy,” said Paul Young, the mayor of Memphis, in a CNN interview, in response to President Trump’s assertion that he was “happy” about the deployment of the National Guard to his city. “.”.
The big picture: Young said that when the president told viewers about the upcoming troop mobilization on Friday’s “Fox and Friends,” he received concrete confirmation of it. He described the blue city as “deeply troubled.”. “..”.
Trump suggested extending the National Guard’s deployment to include “the military” if necessary.
While he was operating in DdotC. Chicago is among the cities the president has named as his next target; however, he appears to have lost interest in the Windy City, where state and local officials strongly opposed Guard action.
On CNN’s “First of All” with Victor Blackwell, Young acknowledged that he did not want Guard members to march in Memphis. He claimed to have received this information early last week from Gov. The idea was being considered by Bill Lee’s (R) office.
He claimed that discussions continued throughout the week and that he had talked about how he could access federal resources through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI.
Yes, but the first “confirmation” that Young received came from Trump’s remarks on Friday’s TV.
“As mayor, I want to make sure that we have a chance to influence some of the decisions about how they interact with our community if they do come,” he stated.
Discussions regarding the mission’s size and scope will take place this week, he said.
“We want to ensure that these people are safe as they enter our city and community. “They are supportive of our law enforcement efforts and are able to interact in a non-threatening manner,” Young stated.
What they’re saying: “Following the President’s highly successful operation to combat violent crime in DC, which objectively drove down crime rates across the board, numerous Tennessee officials have applauded the President’s decision to address crime in Memphis next,” White House spokesperson Abigail Johnson told Axios, citing Lee and Sen’s commendation. Blackburn Marsha (R-Tenn. ().
“Reducing crime will benefit everyone who visits and lives in Memphis,” she continued.
Quick recap: Trump declared on Friday that “we’re going to Memphis,” stating that “the governor is happy” and “the mayor is happy.”. “.”.
Russell Contreras of Axios reported that the president had come under fire for saying little about cities with high crime rates in red states while threatening to deploy the Guard to blue cities in blue states.
Memphis has the highest violent crime rate of any American city with 100,000 or more residents, per an Axios analysis of 2024 FBI data.
Memphis police, however, announced earlier this month that overall crime was at a 25-year low, citing declines in all major crime categories in the first eight months of the year.
See also: FBI reports that violent crime rates are highest in rural South and West states.
Editor’s note: A White House statement has been added to this article.
