6-7 October
Trump says he’d consider invoking the Insurrection Act. What does that mean?
He has been discussing and his allies have been talking about insurrection.
(ABC) President Donald Trump says he’d consider declaring an “insurrection” inside the United States, accusing Democratic governors and mayors of preventing the federal government from enforcing immigration laws and turning their cities in “war zones.”
Invoking the Insurrection Act would unfurl extraordinary presidential powers to use military force in American cities in a manner not used since the Civil Rights Movement.

Texas national guard troops arrive in Chicago amid Trump’s crackdown
Military presence comes after judge declined to block troops from entering, following lawsuit filed by city and state
Texas national guard troops have arrived in the Chicago area, marking an escalation of Donald Trump’s crackdown on the city.
Chicago has already seen a ramping up of immigration enforcement in the past few weeks, as well as increasingly violent altercations in the suburb of Broadview, where law enforcement has been filmed deploying tear gas and pepper gas against protestors.
The latest military presence comes after April Perry, a US district judge, declined to immediately block troops from entering the city amid a pending lawsuit from the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago against the Trump administration’s actions.
Kwame Raoul, the Illinois attorney general, had filed the lawsuit on Monday in order to stop Trump from enlisting the state’s national guard or sending in troops from other states such as Texas “immediately and permanently”.
Texas Troops Head to Chicago as Trump Weighs Use of Emergency Powers
The president said he would consider using the Insurrection Act to bypass attempts to block National Guard deployments in Chicago and Portland, Ore. The governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, called the mobilization “an unconstitutional invasion.”
(NYT) National Guard troops from Texas were heading to Illinois on Monday after a federal judge declined to block them, as President Trump said he was considering using emergency powers to deploy military forces.
A similar effort to deploy Texas troops in Portland, Ore., has been blocked by a judge for now.
llinois and Oregon Intensify Efforts to Block Trump’s Guard Deployments
Illinois officials sued the Trump administration as 200 National Guard troops from Texas were headed to Chicago. A day earlier, a federal judge blocked deployments from any state to Portland, Ore.
(NYT) Illinois officials sued Mr. Trump on Monday, hours after the president ordered hundreds of Texas National Guard soldiers to deploy for “federal protection missions” in Chicago and Portland, Ore. The lawsuit in Illinois followed a stern ruling by a federal judge in Oregon on Sunday blocking Mr. Trump from sending Guard members from any state to Portland. On Monday, the Trump administration filed an emergency appeal seeking to stay that ruling.
Trump says Portland is ‘burning.’ Here’s the reality.
President Trump on Sunday described Portland as a city “burning to the ground,” with “insurrectionists all over the place.”
But the demonstrations that prompted his outrage have rarely expanded beyond a one-block radius of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility that sits on the edge of a waterfront neighborhood, about two miles from Portland’s downtown.

27 September
Trump calls for troops in Portland, escalating use of military inside U.S.
The president authorized the use of “Full Force, if necessary,” in a campaign to use the military against Americans that has little modern precedent.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that he will send troops to Portland, Oregon, and to immigration detention facilities around the country, authorizing “Full Force, if necessary” and escalating a campaign to use the U.S. military against Americans that has little modern precedent.
Trump said in a social media post that he was directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide troops to what he dubbed “War ravaged Portland” as well as “any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”
Saturday’s announcement appeared likely to set up a first test for a White House effort targeting left-wing protest groups. It came just days after Trump signed an executive order directing the nation’s full counterterrorism apparatus against domestic political opponents despite long precedent restricting such a move.
Right-wing politicians have long criticized Portland for the way it has handled racial-justice protests as well as its homeless population, tolerating encampments in the central part of the city. But Trump will again encounter the dynamic he faced when he deployed the National Guard in Los Angeles — a military activation in a state run by a Democratic governor who objects to the decision and could have grounds to fight it in court.

24 September
The Unconstitutional Tactics Trump Wants to Revive in Memphis
By Toluse Olorunnipa
(The Atlantic) When President Donald Trump describes his plans to deploy the National Guard to Memphis as a “replica” of what he’s done with federal troops in Washington, D.C., he’s attempting to make two points: first, that it’s appropriate for him to deploy the military in American cities at all, and second, that doing so effectively reduces crime in cities that just happen to be run and disproportionately populated by his perceived political foes. But the vision he has laid out to “make Memphis safe again” is familiar in another key way: It looks a lot like the crime-fighting strategy the city tried just a few years ago—one that ultimately failed.
The president signed an executive memorandum on September 15 directing federal agents to combat street crime in Memphis through “hypervigilant policing,” “aggressive prosecutions,” and “strict enforcement of applicable quality-of-life, nuisance, and public-safety laws.” The memo called for “large-scale saturation of besieged neighborhoods” and highlighted issues such as graffiti, noise, public intoxication, and traffic violations as areas of focus for federal agents set to descend on the city.
The president’s plans resemble the aggressive, showy, and ultimately failed crime-fighting strategy once used by the city’s police.
23 September
Resolution to stop National Guard deployment fails in Memphis City Council

22 September
Trump Cancels Trail, Bike-Lane Grants Deemed ‘Hostile’ to Cars
Takeaways by Bloomberg AI
The Trump administration canceled grants for street safety measures, pedestrian trails and bike lanes, citing that the projects aren’t designed for cars.
The DOT rescinded grants for projects in various cities, including San Diego, Fairfield, and Boston, stating that they are “hostile” to cars or could “impede vehicle capacity and speed”.
Local officials and transit advocates are looking for alternative funding sources to make up for the shortfalls, with some saying that the cancellation of federal grants may actually allow their projects to move faster.

15 September
Trump vows national emergency in Washington, DC over ICE dispute
(Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would call a national emergency and federalize Washington, D.C. after Mayor Muriel Bowser said its police would not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
At issue is the provision of information on individuals living in, or entering, the United States illegally. Trump’s threat adds to a move critics have seen as federal overreach, with more than 2,000 troops patrolling the city.

Heather Cox Richardson September 12, 2025
… Although Trump said he had the support of the mayor and the governor, Shelby County mayor Lee Harris asked Republican governor Bill Lee to “please reconsider, if this is on the table.” He said local government would welcome more state troopers to help fight crime, but “to have individuals with military fatigues, semi-automatic weapons and armored vehicles patrolling our streets is way too far, anti-democratic and anti-American.”
Lee released a statement saying he was set to speak with Trump about a “strategic mission” to use state law enforcement more effectively with an already established FBI mission in Memphis.
National Guard officially coming to Memphis, President Donald Trump confirms
… [Republican Gov. Bill] Lee also reiterated that he has been talking with the Trump administration for months about reducing crime in Memphis and the latest phase follows the ongoing FBI “Operation Viper” in Memphis and an increase of Tennessee Highway Patrol officers.
“The next phase will include a comprehensive mission with the Tennessee National Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Memphis Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies, and we are working closely with the Trump Administration to determine the most effective role for each of these agencies to best serve Memphians,” Lee said.
(Politico) SENDING IN THE TROOPS: Trump announced this morning that Memphis will be the next city where National Guard are deployed. On Fox News, Trump said the “deeply troubled” city needs help tackling crime and claimed that both the Democratic mayor and Tennessee’s Republican governor were on board, per the Commercial Appeal’s Brooke Muckerman. (That hasn’t been publicly confirmed yet.) Trump said New Orleans and cities in blue states were also potential future targets, though local opposition in Chicago had stopped him from choosing it next. In Memphis, local leaders have acknowledged that they have work to do on crime, though it has already fallen to multi-year lows.
Trump backs off Chicago National Guard threats
(Axios) Chicago leaders are doing a victory lap on Friday after standing up to President Trump, who announced he’s sending federal troops to fight crime in Memphis instead.
Why it matters: Chicago’s pushback on Trump’s troop threat could be a model for other cities.
What they’re saying: “It’s disturbing that the President is hellbent on sending troops onto America’s streets,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said on social media about the Memphis deployment. “Using those who serve in uniform as political props is insulting. None of this is normal.”
Last week, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responded on social media to Trump’s threats by saying that “he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution.”
Flashback: Trump first floated the idea of deploying the National Guard to Chicago in late August and continued to bash the city over crime, calling it a “disaster” and a “hellhole.”
27 August
Black leaders divided over Trump’s call to send National Guard to Chicago

2 – 3 September
Trump suggests he could send troops to New Orleans in another crime crackdown
Last month, Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and he has also repeatedly threatened to send troops to Chicago and Baltimore.
(NBC) President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested he could deploy federal troops to New Orleans in his latest threat to use the federal government to crack down on crime in a Democrat-run city.
… In a joint statement, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s office and the New Orleans Police Department touted the city’s ongoing collaboration with the federal government.
The Trump Administration Gets a Serious Scolding
A federal judge’s scathing opinion explains why Trump’s deployment of troops to California was more than just an overreach.
By David A. Graham
(The Atlantic) The Trump administration broke the law. Its officials knew they were breaking the law. And they’ll likely try to do so again.
In its most distilled form, that’s the conclusion of Charles Breyer, the federal judge overseeing a suit brought by California Governor Gavin Newsom over the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guardsmen and Marines in and around Los Angeles in June. In a scathing opinion delivered today, Breyer said that the administration had acted illegally.

27 August
Trump extends control over Washington by taking management of Union Station away from Amtrak
(AP) It’s Trump’s latest attempt to put the city under his control. In recent weeks, Trump has increased the number of federal law enforcement and immigration agents on city streets while also taking over the Metropolitan Police Department and activating thousands of National Guard members. Last week, Trump said he wants $2 billion from Congress to beautify Washington.

26 August
Trump vs. Pritzker: A political feud that could trigger a major national crisis
(CNN) On one level, their escalating showdown over the president’s threat to send the National Guard onto the streets of Chicago is a convenient political feud.
Trump thrives when he has an enemy to target. His political appeal is based on the premise that he is stronger than anyone who tries to challenge or restrain him.
Pritzker is a potential Democratic presidential hopeful. His party is pining for someone to show defiance to Trump. And since one of his possible rivals for the 2028 Democratic nomination, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, is leading the fight back, it’s good politics to show he’s just as tough.
But this clash runs deeper than a short-term political spat. It might develop into a full-blown crisis between a Republican White House and a major Democratic-run city and state.
Chicago has long been a target for Trump. [He] has made no secret that he’s eyeing Chicago as his next test case for a law-and-order crackdown in which he dispatched troops onto the streets of Los Angeles and Washington, DC, with the performative zeal of a demagogue.

Letters from an American August 24, 2025
Heather Cox Richardson
As the administration of President Donald Trump is using loopholes in the nation’s laws to claim the right to use the military against American citizens, Democratic governors are pushing back.
The administration has taken control of the Washington, D.C., police under the 1973 Home Rule Act, which permits that takeover if “special conditions of an emergency nature exist.” Although the Department of Justice itself reported that crime in the city is at a 30-year low, Trump declared a crime emergency in the District of Columbia on August 11 to take control of the police.
The Home Rule Act limits the president’s takeover to 30 days unless the House and Senate pass a joint resolution to extend that time. On Friday, Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) introduced a bill to extend the takeover for about six months and to make that time the default for all future “emergencies.”
Tonight, California governor Gavin Newsom’s social media account posted: “Trump’s militarization of Los Angeles seems to have been just the start of an authoritarian takeover of American cities. This is not leadership. This is a scary, unlawful grab for power, and we should all be deeply concerned.”
On Saturday, Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post reported that for weeks the Pentagon has been planning a military deployment of National Guard members and possibly active-duty troops to Chicago. The president cannot send National Guard troops unless a governor requests them, but Trump deployed troops in Los Angeles with the argument that the soldiers were protecting federal buildings and personnel, an argument that could apply almost anywhere he sends Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker responded: “The State of Illinois at this time has received no requests or outreach from the federal government asking if we need assistance, and we have made no requests for federal intervention.
This morning, Trump threatened to send troops to Baltimore, Maryland, after Maryland governor Wes Moore invited him in what Trump called “a rather nasty and provocative tone,” to join him on a walk through the streets of Baltimore.
The National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C., will begin carrying firearms tonight.

Trump’s DC crime crackdown has Stephen Miller at its core
(The Hill) The crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital is Miller’s latest project, working to make his own mark as Trump and his administration officials fan out across the city to highlight a federal take over.
Trump sees transforming Washington, D.C., as a victory that would define his legacy, and Miller is the one shaping and driving that message,” an aide in Trump’s first term said.
Miller, who serves as deputy chief of staff, joined Trump on Thursday evening to greet federal law enforcement agents who have been patrolling D.C. at a U.S. Park Police facility in Anacostia. Miller stood next to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem while the president touted the success of the crime crackdown.
Days prior, Miller joined Vice President Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at Union Station to meet with National Guard troops, during which the deputy chief of staff railed against what he called “stupid white hippies” who were protesting the federal law enforcement in the nation’s capital.
As a key player in Trump’s orbit, Miller has a hand in major policy decisions, especially on domestic matters like issues of immigration and crime in cities that are run by Democrats. Trump said on Friday that the federal government would turn its attention to Chicago next.
Illinois officials blast Trump’s threat to deploy National Guard in Chicago
(NPR) Chicago political leaders are slamming a suggestion made by President Trump late last week that he may soon send National Guard troops to the streets of the Midwest metropolis in order to combat crime.
Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, said in a statement on Friday that Trump’s approach was “uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound” and that “unlawfully deploying” the National Guard to Chicago could “inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement.”

23 August
As Trump administration unleashes federal show of force in DC, other US cities on president’s radar push back
(CNN) As the Trump administration escalates its deployment of troops in the nation’s capital and vows similar moves elsewhere, leaders of largely Democratic cities across the country are pushing back.
From Boston to Los Angeles, President Donald Trump’s portrayal of the District of Columbia as a lawless wasteland to justify his military and law enforcement incursion is viewed as an opening salvo in a bid to undermine the autonomy of America’s biggest cities. On Friday, Trump promised to target Chicago next, then New York.
Many big city mayors, however, remain defiant, saying: Not so fast, Mr. President.
On August 11, Trump announced the decision to declare a crime emergency and federalize DC’s police force, saying his administration was “going to restore the city back to the gleaming capital that everybody wants it to be.” Washington’s mayor and police chief were caught off guard, learning about the takeover for the first time as they watched Trump announce it live. Violent crime in the nation’s capital is at its lowest levels in decades, according to city officials.

15 August
Trump admin agrees to allow DC police chief to remain in charge after court challenge
(CNN) Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a new order Friday giving control of Washington, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department back to Chief Pamela Smith, but it would still require the city to answer to the Trump administration for the time being.
The new order comes after a hearing in federal court over a challenge to DEA Administrator Terrance Cole’s appointment as “emergency police commissioner” a day earlier. The order replaces one issued Thursday evening appointing Cole and giving him full control of the department during the federal takeover.

11 August
Trump announces federal takeover of DC police and mobilization of National Guard
(CNN) DC crackdown: President Donald Trump announced he is placing the Washington, DC, police department “under direct federal control” and deploying National Guard troops to the nation’s capital, saying the move is aimed at restoring order in the city. The president has repeatedly complained about rising crime in DC, but overall crime numbers are lower this year than in 2024.