Trump National Guard Withdrawal 2026: A Major Policy Pivot After Legal Defeats
President Trump halts National Guard deployment in Democratic cities like Chicago and LA following Supreme Court setbacks. Read about the Trump National Guard withdrawal 2026.
President Donald Trump just blinked in his high-stakes standoff with Democratic-led cities. On December 31, 2025, the administration announced it's ceasing efforts to deploy federal National Guard troops to Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland. It's a massive shift in a policy that's defined the administration's aggressive domestic agenda.
Why the Trump National Guard Withdrawal 2026 Happened Now
The retreat follows a string of legal blows that culminated in a Supreme Court order last week. The nation's highest court kept a lower court's ruling in place, effectively barring the deployment of troops to Chicago. According to Reuters, DOJ lawyers in California also withdrew requests to keep troops under federal control on Wednesday, following a sharp ruling by District Judge Charles Breyer.
Trump took to Truth Social to confirm the move, claiming the National Guard had already reduced crime in those cities. However, legal experts point out that the troops were mostly restricted to guarding federal buildings, as they lack the authority for direct law enforcement without invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807.
State Reaction and Future Threats
The office of California Governor Gavin Newsom didn't hold back, calling the deployment an "illegal intimidation tactic." While the withdrawal affects roughly 800 troops across the three cities, the President warned, "We will come back... in a much different and stronger form."
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