All federalized National Guard troops were removed from U.S. cities by January 2026 after President Trump's announcement on a withdrawal in December. (Jay L Clendenin/Getty Images)
The White House directed Fox News Digital to Trump's announcement on the withdrawal back in December 2025 when approached for comment on the Washington Post's report.
"We are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, despite the fact that CRIME has been greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities, and ONLY by that fact," Trump wrote Dec. 31, 2025. "Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago were GONE if it weren’t for the Federal Government stepping in."
He added that the troops will return — but likely only when crime spirals in the left-wing cities, adding that he was puzzled by local liberal leaders who would want the troops to leave the city.
"We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again - Only a question of time!" he wrote. "It is hard to believe that these Democrat Mayors and Governors, all of whom are greatly incompetent, would want us to leave, especially considering the great progress that has been made???"
Title 10 troops serve under federal active-duty orders, distinct from Guard forces deployed elsewhere and under different legal authorities.
For example, there is still a National Guard presence in Washington, D.C., as service members there remain on duty under a nonfederal status, while National Guard troops in New Orleans and Memphis, Tennessee, also are still on the ground, as they are deployed under separate agreements between their governors and the administration.
The thousands of National Guard troops deployed as Title 10 soldiers to Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, Oregon, however, are no longer mobilized, according to Northern Command's website.
President Donald Trump met with National Guard members in Washington, D.C., in August 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty)
"President Trump turned the National Guard against the communities they swore to serve. This is unlawful and immoral," California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in October 2025 as the state legally challenged the administration over the federalization.
"The National Guard deserves better than being treated like Trump’s toy soldiers — and when they’re returned to California command, we’ll get them back to doing the real work they signed up to do."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says murders plunged to historic lows as Trump ramped up arrests, deportations and gang crackdowns, citing new crime data. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press )
The withdrawal of the federalized troops comes as the administration touts cratering violent crime trends across the nation.
The Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) reported in February that, based on data from 67 of the nation's biggest police departments, homicides overall fell 19% in U.S. cities, robberies by 20% and aggravated assaults by 10%.
MURDER RATE DROPS TO LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 1900 ACROSS MAJOR US CITIES NATIONWIDE
"This is the direct result of President Trump’s aggressive, no-nonsense approach to public safety," the White House said Wednesday of the data.
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"By surging federal resources to Democrat-run cities that had devolved into war zones, removing savage criminal illegals from our streets, supporting police and prosecutors, and rejecting the Radical Left’s weakness, President Trump’s decisive actions have turned the tide, saved countless lives, and restored peace to communities long abandoned by Democrat politicians who prioritized criminals over citizens."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-makes-good-troop-pullout-promise-vows-return-democrat-city-crime-worsens