Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) on Tuesday urged President Trump to “stay away” from Portland, Ore., after the Trump administration moved to deploy the National Guard into the city.
“Portland has — among the 68 largest cities in the country — the largest drop in murder rate in the country. It has a 20 percent drop. In fact, it’s been cut in half, 20 percent drop in violent assaults,” Merkley told CNN’s John Berman on “CNN News Central.”
“And Portland, so, is pretty calm and peaceful and recovering, and business has been coming back downtown. We’ve been recovering from the riots that Trump incentivized and stimulated back in 2020 and we’re like, ‘Stay away,’” he added.
Trump has ramped up his fight with a city he’s often demonized as being the headquarters of the far-left. Over the weekend, the president said he would “provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland,” claiming that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in the city were “under siege” by protesters.
On Saturday, Merkley said that the president was “sending troops to Portland with the goal of ‘doing a number’ on the city.”
“We know what this means. He wants to stoke fear and chaos and trigger violent interactions and riots to justify expanded authoritarian control. Let’s not take the bait!” he added in a post on the social platform X.
Trump has also repeatedly threatened to send National Guard troops into Chicago, a move staunchly opposed by city and state leaders.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) recently asked the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops to major cities in the Pelican State.
“Since taking office, we have made real progress in driving down crime across Louisiana — but the job is far from finished,” the governor wrote in a Monday press release shared with The Hill’s sister network NewsNation.
“Federal partnerships in our toughest cities have worked, and now, with the support of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, we are taking the next step by bringing in the National Guard,” he added.
Trump has said Democratic governors and mayors should be as welcoming as their Republican counterparts.
During a speech to military leaders on Tuesday morning, Trump suggested the National Guard should use American cities as “training grounds” for troops.
“They’re very unsafe places, and we’re going to straighten them out one by one,” Trump said. “And this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That’s a war, too. It’s a war from within.”
The state of Oregon and the city of Portland sued the Trump administration on Sunday in a bid to prevent National Guard troops from deploying.
When reached for comment, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in an emailed statement to The Hill that during the “summer, rioters in Portland have been charged for crimes including arson and assaulting police officers – this isn’t a peaceful protest that’s under control, like many on the left have claimed, it’s radical violence.”
Updated at 4:02 p.m. EDT