Trump says he may send US troops to New Orleans, Louisiana to fight crime
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
US President Donald Trump speaking to the media on Sept 3, during am Oval Office meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki (not pictured).
PHOTO: EPA
Follow topic:
- Trump considers sending federal troops to Louisiana, specifically New Orleans, to address its "crime problem" within two weeks.
- He also mentioned Baltimore, claiming unprecedented crime levels, and stated he'd send troops if requested.
- These actions continue Mr Trump's trend of threatening federal intervention in Democratic-led cities despite local crime statistics.
AI generated
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Sept 3 he may send federal troops to Louisiana to combat crime, following similar actions in Washington.
Mr Trump, speaking to reporters at the start of a meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki,
“We’re going to be going to, maybe Louisiana, and you have New Orleans, which has a crime problem. We’ll straighten that out in about two weeks,” he said.
Mr Trump also claimed crime in Baltimore was at “levels that nobody’s ever seen before” and that he would consider sending troops into the Maryland city if he is asked to do so.
“If we go into Baltimore, (we can) straighten that out very quickly, too... and I think we’re pretty much waiting until we get asked,” he said.
Mr Trump has regularly threatened to expand his federal crackdown on Democratic-led US cities, casting the use of presidential power as an urgent effort to tackle crime even as city officials cite declines in homicides, gun violence and burglaries.
On Sept 2, he said he would deploy National Guard troops in Chicago
Mr Trump has much less power over Chicago and Baltimore than he does over Washington where, as president, he holds more sway
