This story was produced in collaboration with WKNO-FM public radio.
Six months after President Donald Trump sent a multi-agency federal task force to fight crime in Memphis, White House officials and Republican lawmakers praised the president’s efforts Monday at a forum held at the local Air National Guard facility.
President Trump touched on the Iran war, the economy, and voting ID. But his biggest boast was what he called the saving of Memphis.
“It was averaging far more than one murder per day, with a crime rate higher than Colombia, Mexico City, or Baghdad, “Trump said. “I shouldn’t be saying this, but here’s the good news: it’s been fixed.”
Though Memphis leaders and Democrats avoided the partisan event, the president thanked Mayor Paul Young and Sheriff Floyd Bonner for their partnership with the federal task force, a joint collaboration of more than 30 law enforcement agencies.
Officials say overall crime has dropped 40 percent since 2023, though crime was declining before the intervention. Trump said the next two months will see further improvements.
“We’re gonna be down to — you’re gonna be an almost crime-free city,” Trump said. “You’re gonna be so proud of it. People are going to stay — that they’re going to actually come back because you have everything going.”
Local leaders acknowledge that more resources were long needed. But they have problems with how those resources are now being used.
“We don’t need ICE and we don’t need the National Guard,” said Congressman Steve Cohen, a Democrat. “And it hurts Memphis’ reputation nationally where tourism is an important industry here.”
At a Monday morning protest, hundreds of activists voiced opposition to the task force. State Rep. Justin Pearson is among local leaders calling for its end.
“I believe that the Memphis Un-safe task force needs to go in its entirety,” he said. “This organization of it and all these agencies have only been used as a part of a playbook that this administration said was to take over Democratic-led cities and Black-led cities.”
So far, officials have not cited a timeline for how long the task force will remain active.
Reporters Shelby Smith and Luke Lawson contributed to the story.
