President Donald Trump resorted to a timeworn playbook Monday, including Baltimore on a short list of Democratic-led cities he cast as crime-ridden, on the same day he deployed National Guard troops to patrol the U.S. capital after saying they were needed to combat homelessness and crime.

Speaking at the White House, Trump named Washington, New York, Oakland and Baltimore as cities that his administration was “not going to lose” to crime, although he stopped short of saying what he was going to do about the issue.

His statement implied that the National Guard could be deployed to other cities, as well. An executive order from the president also stripped D.C. of its policing powers for an unknown span of time. A White House spokesperson declined to expand upon what Trump intends for Baltimore.

In Baltimore and Maryland, where residents and leaders have grown accustomed to the president’s tirades about the city and Democrats have capitalized on anger against the president to boost fundraising, the response Monday was predictably swift.

“Look at the facts,” suggested Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott in a statement issued on social media shortly after Trump’s remarks. Violent crime is down in Baltimore and in cities across the country, he argued.

“Baltimore is the safest it’s been in over 50 years,” Scott said.

The Maryland Democratic Party channeled their anger into a fundraising email delivered within an hour of Trump’s mention of Baltimore. A sharply worded social media post followed, but was later deleted.

“Hey, f— you,” the party said on social media platform X. “Maryland police answer to Maryland residents, not a sex pest with daddy issues.”

Trump’s disdain for Baltimore is familiar. In 2019, first-term Trump called Baltimore a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess,” sparking outrage from residents and officials that lasted for years and inspired a counter-campaign of internet memes and merchandise.

Just as back then — when data showed a decrease in the city’s rat population — Trump’s statement Monday didn’t square with the facts. The homicide count in Baltimore has declined steadily since 2021. Last year, homicides fell to around 200, the lowest in nearly a decade. Eighty-five homicides have been recorded so far in 2025, on pace for another decline, according to Baltimore Police Department data.

Declines in Baltimore have exceeded drops in other cities across the country, including Washington, where Trump has taken aim. There, however, the president has broader authority to intervene in local affairs because the district is not a state.

Still, the president has demonstrated a willingness to use military force to back his agenda. In Los Angeles, he deployed guard troops to protect federal buildings in June, amid protests over his mass deportation efforts, even though the majority of protesters were peaceful and state and city officials said they had the situation under control.

A lawsuit challenging Trump’s use of power filed by California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has yet to be decided.

On Monday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called Trump’s decision to mobilize the guard in Washington “deeply dangerous.”

“He is simply using honorable men and women as pawns to distract us from his policies,” the Democrat said in a statement.

Moore said he welcomed a conversation with the president if officials want to have a “serious” discussion about public safety. “But we won’t hold our breath,” he added.

Moore and other Maryland leaders assailed Trump’s efforts to seize control of Washington as an effort to distract from his political problems.

In recent weeks, the president has faced criticism over steep tariffs levied on foreign countries and anger from his own base over his Justice Department’s refusal to release files related to the investigation of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Cities where Democratic residents and lawmakers are abundant have long been targets of Trump, but the president has taken increased interest in Washington following the unarmed carjacking of Edward Coristine, a member of the president’s Department of Government Efficiency. The president shared a bloodied image of the man, better known by the nickname “Big Balls,” on social media, and warned that the city must “get its act together.”

Federal lawmakers, including Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, said Monday that they’d reintroduce legislation to give D.C. full control over its police force and National Guard, just as states have.

Van Hollen and fellow Democrat, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, said in a joint statement the law is needed “urgently” and that they will push the measure when Congress reconvenes in September.

“Trump’s raw authoritarian power grab in D.C. is part of a growing national crisis,” Van Hollen said. “He’s playing dictator in our nation’s capital as a dress rehearsal as he pushes democracy to the brink.”

Maryland Republicans laid blame for Baltimore’s crime numbers, which they said were “high,” on “nearly 60 consecutive years of failed Democrat leadership.”

Trump naming Baltimore as he deployed military troops to a major American city is the latest in a series of blows delivered to the area since he took office in January.

The administration has cut the jobs of thousands of federal workers, many of whom work or live in Maryland. His Justice Department has called for the FBI headquarters to remain in D.C., halting a planned and hard-won relocation to Greenbelt by Maryland lawmakers.

In May, the administration named numerous Maryland jurisdictions, including Baltimore, on a list of sanctuary cities that federal officials said were refusing to cooperate with federal deportation efforts. A revised list issued last week names only Baltimore County.

Baltimore Banner reporter Pamela Wood contributed to this story.