"Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago were GONE if it weren't for the Federal Government stepping in," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again – Only a question of time!"
The pullback comes a week after the Supreme Court delivered a stark blow to Trump's push for military troops to patrol U.S. city streets, rejecting his bid to send National Guard members to the Chicago area to protect federal officials enacting his immigration agenda.
In an apparent 6-3 decision, the court explained that federal law generally bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement, and the law Trump used to call up the National Guard likely only applies when the president is unable to execute laws with the regular forces of the military.
Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch dissented, while Justice Brett Kavanaugh sided with the majority but wrote in a separate opinion that he would have ruled more narrowly.
It marked the first time the high court has weighed in on the legal fight over Trump's aggressive use of the National Guard and a rare loss for the president on the high court's emergency docket, where he has seen a streak of victories this year.
Federal judges in Illinois, California and Oregon have all ruled against the effort, finding Trump overstepped his authority and tread on the states' sovereignty in seeking to use National Guard members to shield federal officials and property facilitating his immigration priorities.
However, few — if any — troops were ever on the ground in Chicago and Portland, due in large part to roadblocks presented by the legal challenges. Though Los Angeles saw more than 4,000 troops at the deployment's peak, only 100 remained activated as of Dec. 15, according to the U.S. Northern Command.
Trump began deploying troops in June as his immigration crackdown spurred protests in cities across the country.
In Washington, D.C., another city where troops were deployed, he used special authority to both send in the National Guard and take control of local police in an effort to curb street crime.
The president's announcement notably skips the nation's capital, which is uniquely disadvantaged in its challenge to the president's deployment. While governors primarily control their state's National Guard, the D.C. National Guard is under the president's command. Several states also sent troops to support Trump's mission.
A federal judge blocked Trump's deployment in D.C. in November, but earlier this month, an appeals court panel made way for it to continue as the administration's appeal proceeds.
Read the full report at thehill.com.
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