Memphis is among America's most dangerous cities, with 145 of its residents being murdered during the first eight months of this year.

That may be about to change, however, as President Donald Trump recently gave a green light for military and federal law enforcement personnel to take action in the city.

President points to earlier success in Washington

According to Breitbart, Trump touted that move in the Oval Office on Monday alongside Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee along with Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty.

"It’s very important because of the crime that’s going on, not only in Memphis, in many cities, and we’re going to take care of all of them step by step, just like we did in DC," Trump stated.

.@POTUS: "Today, at the request of @GovBillLee of Tennessee... I'm signing a Presidential Memorandum to establish the Memphis Safe Task Force — and it's very important because of the crime that's going on." pic.twitter.com/8fflcbietz

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 15, 2025

The president also boasted of his success at reducing violence in the nation's capital, saying "We have virtually no crime in DC right now, and we’re going to keep it that way."

Trump notes that Memphis is more dangerous than Mexico City

"It's our nation’s capital, we’re going to keep it that way, or we’re going to federalize it if we had to, but we don’t have to anymore because it’s in such great shape," he continued.

Trump then compared Memphis to the capital of Mexico, stating, "A person is four times more likely to be murdered in Memphis, Tennessee, today than in Mexico City… and you know, Mexico City is not a cake walk."

"It’s been overrun with carjackings, robberies, shootings, and killings," the president said of Tennessee's second largest city.

"There were 249 murders, 429 rapes, 5.616 burglaries, and 12,522 violent assaults in just the last little while, in 2024 and in pieces of 2025, where it’s actually gotten worse until recently when we sent the FBI down to see what the hell is going on," he lamented.

Governor unveils "comprehensive mission"

Trump's remarks came just days after Lee issued a statement endorsing Trump's plan to involve federal resources in combatting Memphis' crime problem.

"For months, I have been in constant communication with the Trump Administration to develop a multi-phased, strategic plan to combat crime in Memphis, leveraging the full extent of both federal and state resources," Lee asserted.

"The next phase will include a comprehensive mission with the Tennessee National Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Memphis Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies, and we are working closely with the Trump Administration to determine the most effective role for each of these agencies to best serve Memphians," he stated.

The governor concluded by making clear that "Memphis remains on a path to greatness, and we are not going to let anything hold them back."