President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that New Orleans could be his next target for deploying the National Guard, potentially expanding the number of cities around the nation where he may send federal law enforcement.
Trump says the escalation is necessary because New Orleans has a “crime problem,” but city leaders point out that crime rates have dropped considerably this year.
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry said on social media that Louisiana would take Trump’s assistance “from New Orleans to Shreveport!” but leaders of the Democratic-controlled city were less supportive.
“Marching troops into New Orleans is an unnecessary show of force in effort to create a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist,” said City Council President J.P. Morrell.
Trump has already said he plans to