Krasner comments on Trump's 'threat' to send National Guard to U.S. cities
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner commented Tuesday on Donald Trump's threat to deploy the National Guard to American cities to crackdown on crime.
Trump on Monday placed Washington's police department under federal control and deployed the National Guard to "help reestablish law, order and public safety."
He suggested that other major cities – like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles – could also see federal involvement in public safety.
What we know:
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner was joined by faith leaders on Tuesday to discuss "President Donald Trump's recent threat to send members of the National Guard to Washington, D.C. and other American cities."
Krasner, a Democrat, has publicly rebuked the Trump administration during his tenure as the top prosecutor in Pennsylvania's largest city. He has vowed to "reaffirm the city's commitment to uphold the Constitutional rights of residents and to hold accountable anyone who violates the law."
"I just never thought that the preservation of the government of the United States would be an issue that I would have to face," said Krasner, who called Trump's suspected use of the National Guard a "military invasion of America's big cities."
"A 34 time convicted felon talking about lawlessness, [Trump] oughta know he's good at it," Krasner said. "When you hear him talk about insurrection, the only insurrectionist I know it DJT, he's it, he and his band of buddies that he let out of jail."
The backstory:
President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is deploying the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and placing the city’s police department under federal control in an effort to boost public safety in the nation’s capital.
"I'm deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety in Washington, D.C.," Trump told reporters at a news conference at the White House. "And they're going to be allowed to do their job properly."
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Trump places DC police under federal control, deploys National Guard
President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is deploying the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and placing the city’s police department under federal control in an effort to boost public safety in the nation’s capital.
Trump pointed to several recent high-profile incidents in Washington, including the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old congressional intern and the assault of a DOGE staffer during an attempted carjacking.
"This is liberation day in D.C. and we’re going to take our Capitol back," he said.
Trump formally declared a public safety emergency, despite recent data showing crime is on the decline in the District. He compared crime in the U.S. capital to that in Baghdad, Brasília and Bogotá, and said the city ranks poorly in global safety. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi will take responsibility of the D.C. police department, he said.
Local perspective:
While not mentioned specifically by the president, Philadelphia has grappled with violent crime over the last several years.
Pennsylvania's largest city made national headlines in 2021 when the number of homicides reached a staggering 562 murders.
That number, however, has steadily declined in the following years and currently sits at 269 more than halfway through 2025.
Philadelphia has also knocked down instances of gunpoint robberies, carjackings, and overall theft, according to police data.