Trump's National Guard deployments in Democratic cities failed to curb violence, says CAP

Deployments of the National Guard ordered by then-President Donald Trump in Democratic-led cities have failed to reduce violent crime, according to an analysis by the Center for American Progress (CAP). The CAP report, released Monday, examined deployments in Los Angeles, Washington, Memphis, and New Orleans. Trump had taken control of California National Guard soldiers without the consent of Governor Gavin Newsom in June of the previous year, an unprecedented move in 60 years. The White House claimed the deployment aimed to restore security in Los Angeles following protests against immigration raids. Trump employed a similar tactic in Washington, Memphis, and New Orleans, and attempted it in other cities like Chicago and Portland, but federal courts blocked these efforts. The former president repeatedly claimed the deployments were successful, attributing crime reduction figures to his actions. However, the study found that the downward trend in crime already existed in some cities and, in some cases, there were slight increases. For example, Los Angeles recorded a monthly violent crime rate of 56.86 per 100,000 inhabitants at the time of the deployment. By December of the same year, with soldiers on the streets, this rate rose to 58, according to CAP. Washington D.C. saw its violent crime rate increase from 13.27 in August, when troops were sent, to 19.68 in February. The study highlighted that cities targeted or threatened with these deployments had already experienced an average 14% decrease in violent crimes and a 22% drop in homicides in the 12 months prior to federal intervention. "The data finally refutes the rhetoric: Donald Trump's signature public safety strategy has had no quantifiable effect on reducing violent crime, yet it will cost taxpayers nearly $2 billion by year's end," stated Chandler Hall, CAP's associate director of Public Safety. Hall urged a halt to funding these "costly and ineffective" deployments, calling instead for investment in local strategies, technology, and community prevention programs that genuinely protect families.

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The data finally refutes the rhetoric: Donald Trump's signature public safety strategy has had no quantifiable effect on reducing violent crime, yet it will cost taxpayers nearly $2 billion by year's end.