Memphis is a "great city, but it is a wounded city, and we need to fix it," Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti told Newsmax Monday.
"Memphis has problems. It is a great city. There is so much to love about it. It has incredible history. Basically, everything you listen to on the radio can trace its lineage back to what happened in Memphis 60, 70 years ago," he told "National Report."
"It's the home of the world's largest supercomputer. It's the busiest cargo airport in North America. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has been curing cancer in ways that are the envy of the world, that make life better for so many people," Skrmetti added. "But the city is being held back by crime. Investors are getting nervous. People are getting nervous. Places can't recruit as effectively as they should be able to because there are running gun fights that go on in the streets."
President Donald Trump said Friday he'll send the National Guard to address crime concerns in Memphis, Tennessee, telling Fox News the city is "deeply troubled."
He told the news outlet, "The mayor is happy," and "the governor is happy" about the pending deployment.
Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee embraced the troop deployment as part of a broader law enforcement surge in Memphis; however Trump's assertion drew pushback from the Democrat leader of Memphis, which is majority Black.
"I did not ask for the National Guard, and I don't think it's the way to drive down crime," Mayor Paul Young told a news conference Friday, while acknowledging the city remained high on too many "bad lists."
Skrmetti said there would be "differences of opinion about what policies will make the most difference, but this is an all-hands-on-deck situation.
"We need a full-court press because the people of Memphis and the state of Tennessee don't deserve to have to worry about these terrible random crimes. It is a great city, but it is a wounded city, and we need to fix it," he said.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.