WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to expand his military deployments to more Democratic-led cities, responding to an offer by Maryland\u2019s governor to join him in a tour of Baltimore by saying he might instead \u201csend in the \u2018troops.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Last week, Trump said he was considering Chicago and New York for troop deployments similar to what he has unleashed on the nation\u2019s capital, where thousands of National Guard and federal law enforcement officers are patrolling the streets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump made the threat to Baltimore in a spat with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat who has criticized Trump\u2019s unprecedented flex of federal power aimed at combatting crime and homelessness in Washington. Moore last week invited Trump to visit his state to discuss public safety and walk the streets. <\/p>\n In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump said Moore asked \u201cin a rather nasty and provocative tone,\u201d and then raised the specter of repeating the National Guard deployment he made in Los Angeles<\/a> over the objections of California\u2019s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom. <\/p>\n \u201cWes Moore\u2019s record on Crime is a very bad one, unless he fudges his figures on crime like many of the other \u2018Blue States\u2019 are doing,\u201d Trump wrote, as he cited a pejorative nickname he uses frequently for the California governor. \u201cBut if Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the \u2018troops,\u2019 which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime.\u201d<\/p>\n Moore said he invited Trump to Maryland \u201cbecause he seems to enjoy living in this blissful ignorance\u201d about improving crime rates in Baltimore. After a spike during the pandemic that matched nationwide trends, Baltimore\u2019s violent crime rate has fallen. The 200 homicides reported last year were down 24% from the prior year and 42% since 2021, according to city data<\/a>. Between 2023 and 2024, overall violent crime was down nearly 8% and property crimes down 20%.<\/p>\n \u201cThe president is spending all of his time talking about me,\u201d Moore said on CBS\u2019s \u201cFace the Nation\u201d on Sunday. \u201cI\u2019m spending my time talking about the people I serve.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump is \u201cspouting off a bunch of lies about public safety in Maryland,\u201d Moore said in a fundraising email. <\/p>\n In Washington, where Trump is surging National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers, a patchwork of protests popped up throughout the city over the weekend, while some normally bustling corners were noticeably quiet. In some of the most populated areas, residents walked by small groups of national guardsmen, often talking among themselves. Videos of arrests and detainments circulated on social media.<\/p>\n Trump has said Chicago and New York are most likely his next targets<\/a>, eliciting strong pushback from Democratic leaders in both states. The Washington Post reported Saturday<\/a> that the Pentagon has spent weeks preparing for an operation in Chicago that would include National Guard troops and potentially active duty forces.<\/p>\n Asked about the Post report, the White House pointed to Trump\u2019s earlier comments<\/a> discussing his desire to expand his use of military forces to target local crime.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Chicago will be our next,\u201d Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday, adding, \u201cAnd then we\u2019ll help with New York.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly described some of the nation\u2019s largest cities \u2014 run by Democrats, with Black mayors<\/a> and majority-minority populations \u2014 as dangerous and filthy. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is Black, as is Moore. The District of Columbia and New York also have Black mayors.<\/p>\n The Rev. Al Sharpton, speaking during a religious event Sunday at Howard University in Washington, said the Guard\u2019s presence in the nation\u2019s capital was not about crime: \u201cThis is about profiling us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is laced with bigotry and racism,\u201d he later elaborated to reporters. \u201cNot one white mayor has been designated. And I think this is a civil rights issue, a race issue, and an issue of D.C. statehood.\u201d<\/p>\n Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, said there is no emergency<\/a> warranting the deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago.<\/p>\n