Donald Trump is taking aim at Baltimore. He warned the city is so violent that people “can’t walk across the street without being shot.” He dropped the line Monday while rolling out his latest law-and-order push.
At the White House, Trump said the National Guard will head into Memphis first, part of what he called the “Memphis Safe Task Force.” And he made clear more cities are on his list. “Get ready because you’ll be doing a lot of other places that are almost as troubled [as Memphis]. Some of them are equal,” he said. “If you look at what’s going on in Baltimore where the governor was telling me how wonderful it is and you can’t walk across the street without being shot.”
🚨NEW: Baltimore man tells Don Lemon Trump deploying National Guard to Baltimore would be “GOOD IDEA” to crack down on “ATROCIOUS” crime🚨
“Maybe we can clean up some of these crime-ridden neighborhoods.”
“It’ll be a breath of fresh air.” @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/IZ1u5oznNH
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) September 5, 2025
The swipe at Baltimore reignites his fight with Maryland’s Democratic governor, Wes Moore. Earlier this month Moore invited Trump to visit as he pointed to lower crime numbers. Trump fired back too. He slammed the city as “out of control” and “crime ridden.”
But the stats tell a different story. Baltimore logged 201 homicides in 2024, which is the lowest in more than a decade and a 23% drop from 2023.
Trump brushed past that. He took example of Washington, D.C. as proof his crackdown works. Last month he sent nearly 2,000 National Guard troops into the capital and put the city’s police under federal control. According to him, the controversial step cut crime fast.
The White House claims the surge led to 2,100 arrests between August 7 and September 8, including suspected MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gang members. Officials also bragged about clearing 50 homeless encampments.
While talking about the National Guard heading to Memphis, President Trump brings up Baltimore.
“Get ready because you’ll be doing a lot of other places that are almost as troubled…You look at what’s going on in Baltimore…you can’t walk across the street without being shot.” pic.twitter.com/yqMW76HjdL
— Mikenzie Frost (@MikenzieFrost) September 15, 2025
Police data shows violent crime dropped 39% during that stretch compared to the year before, with homicides down 53%.
Trump wasted no time crowing about it on social media. “The ‘place’ is absolutely booming, with restaurants, stores, and businesses packed and, for the first time in decades, virtually NO CRIME,” he wrote. “It’s gone from one of the most dangerous and murder ridden cities in the U.S.A., and even around the World, to one of the safest — in just a few weeks.”
Now he’s threatening to copy the D.C. model in cities like Chicago and Baltimore, whether their Democratic governors like it or not.
And he hinted he might go even further in Washington. He insisted on the idea of declaring a national emergency and fully federalizing the capital after Mayor Muriel Bowser said the city’s police won’t cooperate with ICE.
