Trump Says San Francisco Could Be Next Target For National Guard Deployment

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — President Donald Trump appears to be eyeing San Francisco next as a city he says he'll "clean up" with federal troops.

The news comes less than two weeks after Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., to crack down on crime, and just months after he sent troops into downtown Los Angeles during protests over an aggressive drive to oust undocumented immigrants from the state.

In recent days, Trump has said he is also planning a National Guard takeover in Chicago as troops continue to fan out in Washington, D.C., with many of them carrying firearms.

“Look at what the Democrats have done to San Francisco,” Trump told reporters last week from the Oval Office. “They’ve destroyed it. We could clean that up, too. We’ll clean that one up, too.”

The comments came after Trump said he'd consider sending federal troops to Oakland, naming the city as a troubled area.

At an Aug. 14 news conference, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee slammed Trump's comments.

"President Trump’s characterization of Oakland is downright wrong," she said. "We're not going to back down."

Meanwhile, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie hasn't spoken much about Trump since he took office in January.

"My administration has made safe and clean streets our top priority, and the results are clear: Crime is at its lowest point in decades, visitors are coming back, and San Francisco is on the rise,” Lurie wrote in a statement. “And we’re going to keep working every day to build on that progress."

More than 2,000 troops remain in Washington D.C., all of which were sent by Republican-led states. Next, it could be Chicago, San Francisco or Baltimore.

"If [Maryland Gov.] Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the 'troops,' which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime," Trump wrote on social media.

The use of federal troops has drawn swift condemnation from Democrats.

“Our military should be focused on defending our national security — not silencing speech a president disagrees with or policing our own citizens,” said Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif) in late June as a legal battle unfolded over Trump's decision to deploy troops to LA.