President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy troops to Baltimore, heightening a clash with Maryland Governor Wes Moore after the Democrat invited him to participate in a “safety walk” in the city.
“If Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the ‘troops,’ which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime,” Trump posted on social media.
The comments mark the latest flashpoint in Trump’s push to send National Guard troops to Democratic-led cities as part of what he calls a crackdown on crime.
Democrats have fiercely opposed the move, with one governor describing it as an “abuse of power.” U.S. media reports suggest as many as 1,700 National Guardsmen are expected to mobilize across 19 states in the coming weeks.
Governor Moore, a frequent critic of Trump’s strategy, dismissed the president’s remarks as out of touch.
“These comments come off as so, so tone deaf and so ignorant,” Moore said. “It’s because they have not walked our streets, they have not been in our communities, and they keep repeating these tropes about us.”
Trump’s Truth Social post appeared to be a direct response to Moore’s invitation letter, which the president labeled “nasty” and “provocative.”
“As President, I would much prefer that he clean up this Crime disaster before I go there for a ‘walk,’” Trump wrote.
The president has already deployed about 2,000 troops to Washington, DC, a Democratic stronghold, with the White House claiming the operation has led to hundreds of arrests. Speaking from the Oval Office on Friday, Trump said the mission had brought “total safety” to the capital.
“DC was a hellhole,” he declared. “But now it’s safe.”
The Pentagon later confirmed that troops in DC, previously unarmed, would now be carrying weapons. So far, the soldiers—dispatched by several Republican-led states—have not engaged in policing but have been stationed near major landmarks.
However, crime data from DC’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPDC) tells a different story:
- Violent crime peaked in 2023 but dropped to its lowest level in 30 years in 2024.
- Preliminary 2025 figures show violent crime is down 26% from last year, with robberies down 28%.
Trump has also hinted at sending troops to New York and Chicago, drawing further backlash. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called the threats an abuse of power, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries argued Trump lacks legal authority to act.
Jeffries also pointed out that Baltimore recently recorded its fewest homicides in over 50 years, accusing Trump of exploiting falling crime rates to manufacture a crisis.
A Washington Post/Schar School poll released earlier this week found the deployments deeply unpopular, with nearly 80% of city residents opposing both the use of federal officers and the National Guard, as well as the federal takeover of the MPD.
