Trump is deploying the National Guard to Memphis. Experts worry it’s becoming normal

['Kat Lonsdorf', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Vertical-Align Middle .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar Is .Alignleft .Alignright'] TPR: The Public's Radio 2025-09-18 09:00:00

Memphis readies for National Guard deployment Memphis is getting ready for National Guard troops that could be deployed to the city after President Trump signed a proclamation aimed at fighting crime there. Can Trump expand the National Guard? Normalizing soldiers on the streets of U.S. citiesCalifornia National Guard members stand guard at the Wilshire Federal Building on June 13, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. In D.C., where the National Guard has been deployed for more than a month, Trump has the authority to do so because of what’s called the Home Rule Act, which gives him command of D.C.’s national guard. Pushing the boundaries of presidential powerMembers of the National Guard walk through the Lincoln Memorial while patrolling the National Mall on September 17, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Brendan Smialowski | AFP via Getty Images)It’s that normalization that has experts watching this pattern concerned.