You can tell we’ve entered a new phase of the never-ending White House press room drama when Donald Trump labels a reporter “obnoxious.” On Friday, the president got into a heated argument with a female reporter in the Oval Office after she kept asking him why he had sent the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee. Trump waved her away with a curt, “Quiet,” without replying properly.
“You’re really obnoxious. I’m not gonna talk to you until I call on you.” The outburst came as Trump tried to frame his Memphis crackdown as a ‘replica’ of his ‘extraordinarily successful’ mission in Washington, D.C. On the other hand, the interruption (as well as the decision not to answer her question) came to the forefront during the exchange.
With Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s support, Trump signed a presidential memorandum earlier this week asking the National Guard to send its troops to Memphis. With the backing from out-of-state resources if needed, the order looks to establish a joint task force that includes federal agencies such as the FBI, DEA, ICE, and U.S. Marshals.
Trump praised federal crime-fighting efforts nationwide and said the Memphis mission would send in ‘the big force.’ However, detractors, such as Paul Young, the mayor of Memphis, soon saw the irony: crime in Memphis has been dropping. In the first eight months of 2025, city police reported a six-year low in murders and a 25-year low for overall crime.
Even so, gun violence has been an ongoing issue in Memphis, the second-largest city in Tennessee, and a predominantly Black city. It had a record 390 homicides in 2023. In favor of President Donald Trump, Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, along with Governor Lee, have framed the troop deployment as long overdue.
According to Lee, he was “tired of crime holding the great city of Memphis back.”
BREAKING: Donald Trump has again threatened to send National Guard troops into Chicago after Memphis, despite Governor Pritzker’s explicit request not to. “We’re gonna be doing Chicago probably next.”
Trump doesn’t understand, no means no.pic.twitter.com/UCzIOSw5OI
— Really American 🇺🇸 (@ReallyAmerican1) September 15, 2025
Memphis leaders weren’t convinced. “I did not ask for the National Guard, and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime,” Mayor Young stated plainly. His rebuttal? If the Guard is needed, let’s assign them to monitor security cameras, oversee traffic during emergencies, or even help with beautification projects. Translation: Thank you, but don’t bring the guns!
What it looks like is that Donald Trump is ignoring the local views while stepping up his law-and-order rhetoric. In a bid to defend the action, the White House even posted that crime in Memphis was on the rise, despite local police data to the contrary.
It’s a political hot potato! Is this a genuine public safety concern or just a show of federal power for political purposes?
FOR THE RECORD: I do not and will not support Donald Trump or anyone else Sending the National Guard into Memphis. The Guard is not trained for community safety, and their presence would only instill fear. Our city does not need an occupation.
We need opportunity.
Safety… pic.twitter.com/ZRbE5V7hbd
— JB Smiley, Jr., Esq. (@jbsmileyjr) September 12, 2025
While Trump’s outburst wasn’t unusual by his standards, it points at a deeper tension. He dismissed a journalist for being “obnoxious” instead of replying to valid concerns about policy overreach. By ignoring the questions and moving on with force, that scorn runs the risk of becoming something of a metaphor for the entire effort.
