It turns out that playing general in a blue state is a lot harder when the pesky “rule of law” gets in the way. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced he is dropping his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon. Of course, because he can never just take the “L” gracefully, he framed it as a temporary retreat, posting on social media: “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again – Only a question of time!”
It is a classic “you can’t fire me, I quit” moment, but the reality is much more embarrassing for the administration. This “withdrawal” is less a tactical choice and more a result of being shoved out the door by every court in the country.
Legal Reality Check 101
For months, the White House has been trying to treat the National Guard like a personal toy collection. In the real world, governors typically control their states’ National Guardsmen. Trump, however, decided to ignore the wishes of state and local Democratic leaders to fuel his second term centerpiece: a “crackdown” on crime and immigration. He even toyed with the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act just to stop his opponents from using the courts to block his plans.
The courts, however, were not exactly impressed by his “tough guy” routine. The Supreme Court recently handed the president a significant and rare setback when it refused to allow the administration to deploy troops in the Chicago area. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker didn’t hold back, writing on X that Trump “lost in court when Illinois stood up against his attempt to militarize American cities with the National Guard. Now Trump is forced to stand down.”
The Myth of the “Saviors”
Trump is already busy rewriting history, claiming in his social media post that the troops’ presence was responsible for a drop in crime in these three cities. There is just one tiny, hilarious problem with that narrative: the troops were never even on the streets in Chicago or Portland. Legal challenges kept them sidelined the entire time.
In Portland, Mayor Keith Wilson’s office clarified that the city’s reduction in crime was actually due to local police and public safety programs. Chicago officials echoed this, noting that the city had 416 homicides in 2025, the fewest since 2014. Meanwhile, a Justice Department lawyer actually admitted in court that the Guard’s mission was just to protect federal properties, not “solving all of crime in Chicago.” It’s hard to take credit for a “win” when your team wasn’t even allowed on the field.
Chaos in California and Beyond
In Los Angeles, the saga was even more chaotic. Trump federalized the Guard back in June to guard federal buildings and protect agents during immigration arrests. But after a lower court ruling ordered control to be returned to Governor Gavin Newsom, the administration finally stopped its legal posturing. On Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ordered the administration to return control of the Guard to Newsom.
“About time (Trump) admitted defeat,” Newsom posted, adding that the federal takeover was illegal from day one. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek was equally blunt, stating that the troops “were never lawfully deployed to Portland and there was no need for their presence.”
While Trump is still clinging to deployments in places like Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee (where a judge’s block is currently stayed pending appeal), his “grand plan” for blue-city occupation is crumbling. He might be promising a “stronger form” for his return, but for now, the only thing soaring is the number of legal defeats he’s racking up.
