Vice President pitches National Guard deployment to Detroit: 'All you got to do is ask'

(FOX 2) - This story has been updated to include a statement from the mayor of Detroit.

During a visit to Michigan, Vice President JD Vance alluded to sending the National Guard to Detroit. 

While speaking to supporters at a rally in Howell, he said all that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had to do "is ask" and the National Guard would come to Detroit.

"Gretchen, we are happy to send the National Guard to Detroit, Michigan. All you got to do is ask," he said.

The backstory:

After federalizing the local police in D.C. and deploying the National Guard, President Donald Trump has floated the idea of deploying federal officers to other cities in the U.S., arguing the move would lower crime.

Most recently, Trump said federal troops would go to Memphis, Tennessee while threatening to also send troops to Chicago. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has declined the request from the president. 

Trump previously sent federal agents to Los Angeles amid protests against the president's immigration policies.

What they're saying:

During his speech on Wednesday, Vance referenced interviews with voters and questions about whether they would want federal troops in their city.

"And every single person says, ‘it’s a great idea. I just want to be safe and we're glad the president is making that happen,'" he said.

"So my one message to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer here in the state of Michigan is - my one message to Gretchen Whitmer is, look, the city of Detroit, we know has got some serious crime problems," he said, "and we know that it's people in Detroit who suffer the most when crime is allowed to run rampant all over city streets.

"Gretchen, we are happy to send the National Guard to Detroit, Michigan, all you got to do is ask."

Local perspective:

In 2024, Detroit recorded 203 murders in the city. The rate represented a major drop from 2023 and the fewest in 50 years. Non-fatal shootings also fell in the city.

Mayor Mike Duggan and its police chief at the time touted the data as a sign its latest crime-fighting strategy was working. In August, areas where the community violence initiative is in place, the crime rate has continued to fall. According to the mayor's office, Detroit's drop in homicides has continued in 2025, falling by another 15%.

However, according to Neighborhood Scout, which collects crime data from around the U.S. using local police departments and the FBI, Detroit's violent crime rate is still four times higher than the national average.

The other side:

In response to Vance's comments, Duggan's office praised the work between varying levels of government and added it would be a mistake to chance course.

"The current partnership between federal, state, county, and private violence  prevention groups is achieving record reductions, and it would be a serious mistake to abandon this successful strategy."