President Trump is planning to expand the presence of the National Guard into more American cities.
In response to violent crime in the nation’s capital, President Trump recently deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C. The move comes after the president deployed the National Guard to counter violent ICE protests in Los Angeles, California.
On Tuesday, Trump announced that he plans to deploy federal troops to Chicago and Baltimore to stop violent crime.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro reacted to President Trump’s actions, saying his administration is prepared to fight back if the president sends troops to the Commonwealth.
“I’m the former chief law enforcement officer of this commonwealth, and I understand what communities need to do to make people safe as governor,” Shapiro said to members of the press on Tuesday.
“We’ve invested millions of dollars in not only policing, but in community organizations that have helped bring down violent crime by 42%. Now is not a time to disrupt that with distrust the way the President is doing in other communities,” he said.
Shapiro said violent crime is down in Pennsylvania. He said any attempt by the president to direct federal forces to U.S. cities is unconstitutional.
On Tuesday, a federal judge made the ruling that such actions are unconstitutional. Trump’s administration appealed that ruling on Wednesday.
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a Republican, recently launched her gubernatorial campaign against Shapiro.
In a recent statement, Garrity said that “President Trump has shown that making America safe and cracking down on crime is a top priority.” She added that “Pennsylvania families are facing growing chaos and uncertainty in our streets.”
With President Trump’s recent discussions surrounding sending troops to other cities with high crime rates, he has received support and pushback from other governors.
Illinois’ Democratic governor, JB Pritzker, has objected to the potential deployment of troops to his state. Louisiana’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry, has expressed his willingness to welcome troops to New Orleans to fight crime.
