Steve Benen is a producer for 'The Rachel Maddow Show,' the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of 'Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past.'
About a week ago, Donald Trump delivered remarks in which he boasted about the positive feedback he’d received about deploying National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee. “Sir, thank you so much,” the president said, quoting locals he’d purportedly heard from.
“I live in Memphis, it’s so beautiful. There’s so many people outside. Everybody’s cheering the soldiers, they’re cheering. Thank you so much, sir.” There was, of course, one small problem: The deployments in Memphis hadn’t happened yet. The quotes Trump shared were apparently concocted in his imagination, and he presented them as real. But as ridiculous as this was, much of the public was left to wonder which city might be next on the White House’s target list. We apparently didn’t have to wait too long to find out. NBC News reported: As part of the same online missive, the Republican said he’s “authorizing Full Force, if necessary.” What did that mean, exactly? I’m not altogether sure, though it sounded as if the American president was authorizing the use of military force against Americans on American soil. It wasn’t the only area of uncertainty: There were also questions as to whether the president was sending National Guard or active-duty troops , when this might happen, and whatever became of JD Vance’s recent assurances that Trump would never deploy troops to an American city without an invitation from state and local officials. For that matter, we don’t even know for sure whether there will be deployments: Trump claimed on Saturday that he was issuing a directive to the Pentagon, but it’s an open question as to whether he was just making this up. What’s more, one day after the presidential announcement, the state of Oregon and the city of Portland sued the administration in the hopes of derailing the deployments, and given the relevant details, the case stands a decent chance of success. But as important as these angles are, there’s a related question hanging overhead: Why Portland? The official line from Trump is that the city is “war ravaged” and “under siege,” making it necessary to use troops to protect local ICE facilities. The official line, however, is obvious nonsense. So what’s the real reason? As it turns out, the president recently hinted at the answer. While the White House has largely focused on Chicago and Baltimore, earlier this month the president raised the prospect of deploying the Guard to Portland because of something he’d seen on television the night before. The NBC affiliate in Portland highlighted some highly relevant comments Trump made to NBC News: Oh. So Trump isn’t sure he’s right about Portland descending into a lawless hellscape, but he’s definitely seen some unsettling images while “watching things on television.” Are those “things” different from reality? The president apparently isn’t sure, which makes a terrible situation quite a bit worse.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump Announces Troop Deployment to Portland, Oregon, Authorizing 'Full Force'Former President Donald Trump is deploying troops to Portland, Oregon, escalating his controversial use of federal forces in American cities. This action, framed as a response to threats from the 'radical left' and domestic terrorists, has been met with strong criticism from local officials who are worried about the impact and the unclear mission for the troops. This expansion of federal involvement comes after a surge in federal presence, and authorization to use force is being given by Trump.
Read more »
Trump Announces Troop Deployment to Portland, Oregon, Fueling ControversyPresident Trump has ordered the deployment of troops to Portland, Oregon, to address 'domestic terrorists,' sparking strong condemnation from local officials who criticize the move as authoritarian and unnecessary. The deployment comes amid concerns about the city's safety and political unrest. The deployment has been met with swift and harsh criticism from the governor and mayor.
Read more »
Oregon Sues to Block Trump Administration's Troop Deployment to PortlandOregon's Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to prevent the deployment of troops to Portland following President Trump's announcement. The lawsuit challenges the administration's authority, citing violations of state sovereignty and federal laws.
Read more »
Oregon sues over Trump admin's 'war-ravaged Portland' National Guard troop deploymentFox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »
Trump's Portland troop plan sparks fierce legal battle as Oregon officials fight backToday's Video Headlines 09/28/25
Read more »
Oregon Sues Trump Administration Over Troop Deployment to PortlandOregon filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after the President announced the deployment of troops to Portland. The state's Attorney General challenges the President's authority, citing concerns over federal overreach and a lack of justification for the deployment.
Read more »