On the 11th of September, 2025, President Trump signed a memorandum ordering a National Guard Deployment to Memphis, Tennessee to combat crime.

President Trump has described this act as a replica to his federal crackdown in Washington, D.C., whilst some described it as a test of the limits of presidential power. Regardless, this act has been met with a considerable amount of backlash and controversy, and has raised questions regarding the balance of power between state and federal governments in the U.S.

This is not the first time that such question has been raised. Historically, there have been contests of power between the state and federal governments. The U.S. Constitution guarantees that states have certain reserved powers and autonomy, however, it is vague when it comes to legal clarity regarding “who controls what”. Because of this, since the 1930s, there had been increasing federal intervention, especially in domestic policy areas.

Although there have always been tensions regarding domestic policies, there have been little to no events where tensions have escalated to this degree due to security issues. In other words, because of matters regarding the use of violence.

This is not the first time President Trump has been criticised for raising state-federal tensions. June, earlier this year, he deployed roughly 4,000 members of the National Guard along with 700 marines to Los Angeles to suppress protests, which not only largely escalated tensions between California and D.C., but also raised concerns regarding the amount of power checks on the President and the federal executive.

President Trump has been known for suppressing critics of his administration, and his use of the National Guard and U.S. military further demonstrates his desire to create a more centralised and “regime-loyal” United States.

This event, along with other cases in which Trump has employed violent crackdowns, raises questions on the extent to which local state governments can protect people’s civil liberties from the federal government. The United States, like any other modern liberal democracy, follows the following principles: rule of law, where no one, even the head of state, is above the law, and the principle of freedom of speech and expression. The U.S. President has been heavily criticised both from within and outside the U.S. for disregarding these principles, as well as the U.S. Constitution.

President Trump’s use of force has shown the limitations of power checks on the federal government and how vulnerable individual states can be against the federal government. In a sense, he has redefined state-federal relations by ‘going beyond’ and interfering with areas that previous presidents did not dare to touch, and by demonstrating what the federal government is truly capable of regarding state matters.

As these concerns are raised, concerns regarding President Trump’s second term are also on the rise.