Live: Trump, Patel give update on nationwide crime crackdown

(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel touted their succes in nationwide efforts to fight crime Wednesday afternoon.

Trump touted his success in deploying National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., and Memphis, saying that more than 8,000 people were arrested for violent crimes in the three months of an operation designed to crack down on crime.

The president also said his administration has arrested more than twice as many people as the Biden administration, putting the number at more than 23,000 people since he took office.

Trump expressed anger at local officials who say they do not need help and who have data showing lower crime rates in recent years.

The president said San Francisco should be one of the next cities on the list.

"I'd never thought we'd go into every city," Trump said.

Efforts by the administration to crack down on crime have come with pushback from local leaders and court battles.

Trump deployed the National Guard in Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee, to fight crime. He has also attempted to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago and Portland, Oregon, but has been blocked by the courts.

While the Republican governor of Tennessee asked the president to send troops, leaders in the other cities have pushed back, noting that statistics show crime is down and saying federal help is not needed.

The Trump administration has remained committed to sending troops into Democratic-run cities as part of crime fighting efforts.

Trump has said that if necessary, he will invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops.