(The Center Square) – Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s claims about crime in Baltimore and his suggestion that federal troops could be sent to the city, saying local partnerships are showing results and that he will not authorize the Maryland National Guard for policing.
In a Truth Social post, Trump called Baltimore “out of control” and “crime ridden,” claiming the city is the “4th worst in the nation in crime and murder.” He said that if Moore “needs help” like Los Angeles, he could “send in the troops” as his administration has done in Washington, D.C.
Moore responded in a series of interviews and social media posts, saying Guard deployments are neither appropriate nor effective for local crime.
“I will not authorize the use of the Maryland National Guard for any mission that isn’t mission critical or mission aligned. Full stop,” said Moore in a social media post on X.
In a seperate post, Moore added: “Donald Trump can stay obsessed with me – that’s fine – but I’ll stay obsessed with working in partnership to continue our historic success of driving down crime in Baltimore.”
Trump’s remarks come as his administration has already deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., under what it called “Liberation Day.” Thousands of Guard members were activated earlier this month, with federal officials reporting hundreds of arrests and drops in carjackings and robberies.
Moore has pointed to Baltimore’s own statistics as evidence of progress without military involvement.
According to Mayor Brandon Scott’s office, the city recorded 84 homicides through July 2025, down from 111 in the same period in 2024 – a 24% decrease and the lowest midyear total in more than 50 years.
Nonfatal shootings are down 18%, robberies 23%, auto thefts 34%, arson 10% and carjackings 15%.
The city’s homicide clearance rate, which is the percentage of cases solved by police, improved according to the office, rising from 40% in 2020 to 68% in 2024, with a 64% clearance rate so far in 2025.
Baltimore’s crime map shows six homicides in the past 28 days, underscoring that while long-term trends are improving, violence has not disappeared.
