Trump Suggests New Orleans Could Be Next for Federal Troop Deployment After Chicago

By Mona Austin

WHITE HOUSE — President Donald Trump on Wednesday floated the idea of sending federal troops to New Orleans, suggesting the Crescent City could join Chicago as a target for a controversial law-and-order push that critics say disproportionately impacts Democratic-run and majority-Black cities.

“So we're making a determination now, do we go to Chicago, or we? Do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that's become quite, you know, quite tough, quite bad,” Trump said during remarks at the White House.

The president praised Landry, a Republican who took office in January, for signaling support. 

“So we're going to be going to maybe Louisiana, and you have New Orleans, which has a crime problem. We'll straighten that out in about two weeks. It'll take us two weeks easier than DC, but we could straighten out Chicago. All they have to do is ask us to go into Chicago, if we don't have the support of some of these politicians. But I'll tell you who is supporting us — the people of Chicago,” Trump added.

Trump has not set a timeframe for possible deployments. The comments follow weeks of speculation about when and where he will direct federal resources next.

The remarks deepen concerns among Democratic leaders and civil rights advocates who accuse Trump of using federal law enforcement to “occupy” cities led by Black mayors or Democratic administrations. They point to his earlier decisions to send troops into Washington, D.C., and his repeated focus on Chicago, New York, and now New Orleans — all cities with significant Black populations and histories of strained police-community relations.

Trump, who has made public safety a centerpiece of his second-term agenda, frames the potential action as a response to violent crime. But opponents argue the moves are political, designed to project strength while stigmatizing urban Black communities.

For now, Trump is teasing his next steps without committing to specifics. That leaves residents in places like New Orleans — still grappling with crime, economic inequities, and long-standing mistrust of federal intervention — waiting to see whether the president will follow through on his warning.