US President Donald Trump on Wednesday floated the idea of deploying troops to New Orleans as part of his broader campaign targeting so-called “high-crime” Democratic-run cities. Trump, who has already sent troops to Los Angeles and Washington, cited New Orleans as a city where he could intervene to address crime, praising Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry for welcoming federal assistance.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said, “So we’re making a determination now, do we go to Chicago or do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that’s become … quite tough, quite bad.”
He added that he could bring the city under control “in about two weeks.” Landry echoed Trump’s comments on social media, stating, “We will take President @realDonaldTrump’s help from New Orleans to Shreveport!”
While Louisiana is largely Republican, New Orleans is a Democratic stronghold with significant poverty pockets contributing to crime. Despite this, the city has recorded sharp declines in murders and violent crimes this year.
Critics, including Democratic Congressman Troy Carter, argue that militarizing the streets is not a solution. Carter suggested that federal resources could be better used to fund police recruitment, improve training, enhance the district attorney’s office, and address systemic poverty—the root cause of crime.
Trump’s proposal coincides with the announcement of a new facility at Angola prison, the country’s largest maximum-security prison, to house up to 400 immigrants convicted of crimes.
Landry described it as a facility to consolidate “criminal illegal aliens, gang members, rapists, drug dealers, human smugglers that have no place in this country.”
The President has also indicated interest in deploying troops to other Democratic strongholds, including Chicago, New York, and Baltimore. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker criticized the plan as political theater aimed at deflecting attention from Trump’s controversies.
The proposals have sparked a debate over federal overreach versus local governance, highlighting the tension between the White House and city officials over the use of military forces in domestic law enforcement.
Trump’s continued focus on crime-heavy urban centers underscores his administration’s approach of combining federal intervention with politically charged rhetoric as he prepares for upcoming electoral campaigns.
