WASHINGTON, 20 October (H.S.): In a Fox News interview that aired on Sunday, former US President Donald Trump threatened to deploy the military to San Francisco, continuing his strategy of sending troops into Democratic-controlled cities despite local opposition.

Trump asserted that the city, which he claimed went wrong 15 years ago, would be made great again through this intervention.This threat follows a pattern of Trump deploying the National Guard to cities such as Los Angeles, Washington, and Memphis, often against the will of local leaders.

These deployments have been justified by Trump as necessary to combat crime and unrest, though critics argue he has repeatedly exaggerated the extent of these issues to rationalize military presence in urban areas.

Legal challenges have already halted similar deployments in Chicago and Portland

.Trump’s focus on San Francisco aligns with a common Republican narrative that portrays the city, with its well-documented struggles with homelessness and drug addiction, as a prime example of urban decay under Democratic leadership.

The comments also come after Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, a prominent tech figure, faced backlash and later apologized for suggesting a National Guard deployment in the city, highlighting a contentious debate even among local leaders.

The former president has previously suggested that American cities could serve as training grounds for the military and has referred to a war from within, indicating a broader, more aggressive domestic policy vision.

The first such deployment occurred in Los Angeles in June following protests over widespread immigration raids.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar