But behind the scenes, White House officials say, Trump also had another goal in mind: he wanted to use the military to advance his federal crime crackdown, and he saw protecting ICE facilities as a good pretext. However, Portland, another blue city in a blue state, is different, Trump administration officials said, from a legal and political standpoint. The president has the legal authority to do it,” one White House official said of Portland. “President Trump has directed ‘all necessary Troops’ to Portland, Oregon,” Mayor Keith Wilson said Saturday. However, the White House also views the president’s move to target crime in Washington, DC, Memphis and now Portland as one that will play well politically in the 2026 midterms.