On Tuesday, President Donald Trump told U.S. troops aboard the U.S.S. George Washington in Japan that he was prepared to send “more than the National Guard” into American cities if needed. The remarks mark his latest indication that he is willing to use military force to address crime and immigration issues.
“We have cities that are troubled,” Trump addressed to thousands of military service members at the Yokosuka Naval Base. “And we’re sending in our National Guard, and if we need more than the National Guard, we’ll send more than the National Guard, because we’re going to have safe cities.”
Since June, Trump has deployed National Guard troops to several Democratic-run cities, including Los Angeles, Memphis, and Washington, D.C., sometimes accompanied by active-duty Marines.
On Wednesday, during a flight to South Korea, Trump told reporters he is allowed, and he could deploy any branch of the military if he deemed it necessary.
“If I want to enact a certain act I’m allowed to do it routinely. I’d be allowed to do whatever I want,” Trump said in his remarks on Air Force One. “The courts wouldn’t get involved, nobody would get involved. I can send the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. I can send anybody I wanted.”
The president has increasingly used speeches to military audiences to discuss his policy priorities, domestic and foreign, often blending partisan messages with military matters. On Tuesday, he also defended recent U.S. strikes against suspected drug smugglers at sea, calling them part of a broader “war on the cartels”, according to The New York Times.
Trump’s remarks come during a diplomatic tour of Asia, where he has met regional leaders and promoted U.S. military cooperation and economic investment. Despite these global engagements, his comments on domestic military deployments underscore his continued interest in using military force as a policy tool within the United States.
