'Don’t fool yourself': Ex-Memphis commissioner unveils 'tacit' motivation behind Trump’s TN troops
U.S. President Donald Trump looks at media members after returning to the White House from Scotland, Britain, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 29, 2025. REUTERS Umit Bekta
President Donald Trump recently confirmed that he changed his mind on sending troops to Chicago and is instead sending them to Memphis. And former Memphis Board of Commissioner Mike Carpenter Tells USA Today that it’s all a show.
Carpenter said the maneuver lets Trump “tacitly” support the gubernatorial campaign of U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn without officially endorsing her over another Trump loyalist, U.S. Rep. John Rose.
Trump was already having a hard time choosing between them, with USA TODAY Washington correspondent Joey Garrison tweeting: “President Trump says he hasn't decided who he will endorse between @MarshaBlackburn and @JohnRoseforTN in the TN governor's race. Trump says both are “‘fantastic.’”
Garrison also reported Trump adding: “I'll probably be forced to do it. I wish I didn't have to do it. But you know, I'll probably be forced to do it.”
“A National Guard presence at Blackburn’s behest will be shouted from the rooftops in heavy-GOP primary voting enclaves in the state," Carpenter said. "The action allows Trump to markedly assist the front-running Blackburn while officially claiming to remain neutral – for now."
Carpenter also said Trump prefers easy victories with minimal work, and moving troops into Memphis is easier than putting them in blue cities with Democratic governors. California’s Gavin Newsome and Illinois JB Pritzker pushed back too hard at Trump’s troops for his comfort. But Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee is a Trump ally, and Memphis mayor Paul Young is in no position to fight, Carpenter said.
But “don’t fool yourself into believing it is about safer communities,” said Carpenter, pointing out that crime is down in Memphis, with the local police department having announced rate reaching a 25-year low. Mayor Young has been touting weekly reductions in crime, backed up by the city's Safer Communities database, for more than a year.
“It allows the president to declare victory when crime continues to fall,” Carpenter said. “Trump has already taken credit, claiming the declines are the result of additional FBI and other federal resources he dispatched to the city."
“Just as with every decision made by this administration, the purpose is not in the policy, but in the politics,” he added.
