In a major policy shift just hours before the start of 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the federal government is withdrawing National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland.
In a post on his social media account on Wednesday, Trump said the decision was being made “for now” and stressed that federal forces could return in the future if crime rates increase again.
Why the Withdrawal?
The troop pullback comes after months of legal setbacks and court rulings that limited the Trump administration’s authority to deploy the National Guard in cities without meeting specific constitutional requirements.
The U.S. Supreme Court and other federal judges blocked aspects of the deployments, finding that the president lacked the clear legal authority to federalize National Guard units in states that did not consent to their use in civilian law-enforcement roles.
Trump’s Statement
Trump defended the deployments in his social media message, claiming that crime had dropped in the affected cities because of the troops’ presence. He wrote that he would be ready to redeploy forces in a “much different and stronger form” if crime begins to rise again.
“Our plan worked,” he wrote, “but we are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland… We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again — only a question of time!”
Legal and Political Pushback
The decision to pull the troops follows a series of court challenges by state and local leaders who argued that the federal government overstepped its authority by deploying military personnel to cities without approvals from governors or clear statutory justification.
The Supreme Court has recently blocked part of Trump’s troop deployments, especially in Illinois, where the president had sought to use National Guard forces to protect federal agents carrying out immigration enforcement.
What This Means
Although troops are being withdrawn, Trump’s statement makes it clear he sees the move as temporary. The president’s remarks suggest the possibility of future deployments if conditions change, sparking continued debate over the role of military forces in domestic security operations.
The situation highlights lasting tensions between federal authority, state rights, and legal constraints around National Guard deployments — especially in politically divided U.S. cities.