President Trump said he is deploying the National Guard to Baltimore in an effort to fight crime, despite objections from state and city leaders.

During a press conference on Tuesday, the president also said he is ordering federal intervention in Chicago.

Mr. Trump didn’t say when the National Guard would be deployed to either city. 

“Chicago is a hellhole right now, Baltimore is a hellhole right now,” Mr. Trump said. 

The White House recently shared an article by U.S. News and World Report that showed Baltimore ranks as the fourth worst in the nation in crime and murders, behind St. Louis, Oakland, and Memphis.

“We have a right to do it because I have an obligation to do it to protect this country, and that includes Baltimore,” Mr. Trump said

Gov. Moore invited Trump to Baltimore

The announcement came after days of back and forth between Mr. Trump and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore over crime in Baltimore. 

In a letter, the governor invited Mr. Trump to visit the city for a public safety walk at a day and time of his choosing.

The president responded by telling Moore to “clean up this crime disaster” before he considers coming to Baltimore.

Mr. Trump said in recent remarks that Baltimore was “so far gone,” as far as crime is concerned, which prompted responses from Gov. Moore and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott.

“This is the latest effort by the president to distract from the issues he should be focused on — including the roller coaster of the U.S. economy thanks to his policies,” the mayor said in a statement. “When it comes to public safety in Baltimore, he should turn off the right-wing propaganda and look at the facts. Baltimore is the safest it’s been in over 50 years.”

Gov. Moore described the president’s comments as “insults from the Oval Office.”

“While the President is spending his time from the Oval Office making jabs and attacks at us, there are people actually on the ground doing the work who know what supports would actually work to continue to bring down crime. But it’s falling on deaf ears of the President of the United States,” Moore said. 

The president posted on the social media platform Truth Social that Baltimore is “out of control” and “crime-ridden.”

“Stop talking and get to work, Wes,” Mr. Trump wrote. “I’ll then see you on the streets!!!”

Baltimore’s historic crime decline

Gov. Moore and Mayor Scott defended Baltimore’s historic decline in crime. 

On Monday, the mayor said there has been a 29.5% drop in homicides and a 21% drop in nonfatal shootings compared to this time in 2024.

In August, the city recorded seven homicides, the lowest recorded total for the month, which is historically one of the deadliest of the year, according to data from the mayor’s office. 

As of September 1, Baltimore police have responded to 91 homicides and 218 nonfatal shootings in 2025. This is the fewest homicides that Baltimore has seen during the first eight months of the year in over 50 years, according to the mayor.

“If there’s anything Maryland has proven over the last two years, it’s that we can achieve performance without being performative,” Gov. Moore said. “Progress requires the right tool for the right mission. Asking the patriotic citizen soldiers of our National Guard to police our cities doesn’t meet that test.” 

Mr. Trump disputed Gov. Moore’s claim about a decline in crime.

“Wes Moore’s record on Crime is a very bad one, unless he fudges his figures on crime like many of the other ‘Blue States’ are doing,” the president said. 

Mayor Scott recently told WJZ that the city doesn’t need the help of the National Guard. Rather, he wants the president to send more federal law enforcement resources to Baltimore, including increasing federal agents to work with the city’s police department.

“We know that the National Guard is not the way,” Scott said. “That’s not what those soldiers signed up to do.”

Scott also credited the city’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) for the decline in the crime rate. 

“Too many people in our communities, too many police officers, too many community violence intervention workers and folks have put their lives on the line each and every day to make the city a safer place,” Scott said. “As safe as it’s been in my lifetime.”

National Guard sent to Washington, D.C.

In August, Mr. Trump moved to federalize the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard in the district to assist law enforcement, despite data showing crime has declined in the city in recent years. 

The president said the crime issue, “directly impacts the functioning of the federal government and is a threat to America.” He also questioned what he called “phony numbers” on crime in D.C.

According to local police data, violent crime in D.C. has been on the decline after spiking in 2023. As of mid-August, violent crime was down 26%.

Nearly 2,000 National Guard members are stationed in the nation’s capital.  

Gov. Moore said on “Face The Nation” that the deployment in D.C. is “not scalable,” and said “you’re not going to be able to do this in every single major American city.” 

The governor said that the crackdown on crime in the district is “not sustainable,” “deeply disrespectful” to the National Guard, and “unconstitutional,” according to CBS News.

“There is a multitude of reasons that I am against this, and I will not authorize the Maryland National Guard to be utilized for this,” Moore said. 

Maryland, Baltimore leaders react

Maryland and Baltimore leaders responded on Tuesday to Mr. Trump’s press conference, declaring that the National Guard will be deployed to Baltimore.

Mayor Brandon Scott said the city’s initiative to combat crime is working.

“Let’s be clear, one life is one too many, and our work isn’t done,” Scott said. “But we’ve already outlined the policies and practices that have the ability to support our work, and they don’t include deploying the National Guard.”

Senator Chris Van Hollen said Mr. Trump should “stop playing political games with federal law enforcement.”

“We’ve already worked successfully to increase the presence of FBI, DEA, and ATF agents in Baltimore and, by working in coordination with the Mayor and local law enforcement, we have made important progress in strengthening public safety,” Sen. Van Hollen said. “There is certainly more work ahead, and we always welcome additional federal resources to reinforce local efforts, but Trump’s threats to invade our cities are not the answer. They are designed to distract from his failures to put forward real solutions to these and other issues facing our communities, like rising prices and the increasing cost of living. Instead of politicizing our great City of Baltimore, Trump should stop bloviating and let federal, state, and local law enforcement do their jobs.”

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Adam Thompson

Adam Thompson is a digital content producer for CBS Baltimore.