SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — President Donald Trump is once again targeting cities run by Democrats.
This time, he is calling them “unsafe.”
“I told Pete (Hegseth) we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military National Guard,” he said.
MORE: National Guard troops on DC streets for Trump’s crackdown will start carrying guns
In a speech to top U.S. military officers in Quantico, Trump specifically named San Francisco, saying the city needs to be “straightened out.”
“It seems as though the ones that are run by the radical left democrats what they’ve done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, LA, they’re very unsafe places and we’re going to straighten them out one by one and this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. It’s a war too. It’s a war from within.”
MORE: Trump deploys National Guard to Memphis, calling it a ‘replica’ of his crackdown on Washington
President Trump also hinted at deploying more National Guard troops to crack down on crime.
ABC7 obtained police data showing San Francisco is down 36% for major crimes in the last 12 months compared to the average for the last three years.
INTERACTIVE: Take a look at the ABC7 Neighborhood Safety Tracker
Pres. Trump has already ordered the deployment of troops across Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee.
And just this week, he announced he would also send troops to Portland, Oregon.
The Portland’s Democratic Mayor Keith Wilson and the state’s Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek both stressed that they did not request the troops and objected to the action.
MORE: Trump says he’ll send troops to Portland, Oregon, in latest deployment to US cities
Trump mentioned his call with Kotek on Tuesday, claiming that Portland “is burning down.”
“I said ‘You don’t have it under control, governor, but I’ll check it and I’ll call you back.’ I called (her) back. I said ‘you, this place is a nightmare,'” Trump said.
Throughout Trump’s speech — which came after Hegseth called for an end to what he called “woke” culture in the military — the president’s words were met generally with silence and subdued reaction from generals, who did not seem to respond to the president’s often highly-partisan talking points. Reaction in the room among the military’s top leaders was even more limited when Trump talked about sending troops into American cities such as Chicago and Portland.
It was an unusual reception for Trump, who is used to delivering blockbuster speeches to friendly audiences.
The president took note of the mood in the room soon after he began talking, and appeared to be surprised.
“I’ve never walked into a room so silent before,” he said before making jokes.
“Just have a good time. And if you want to applaud, you applaud. And if you want to do anything you want, you can do anything you want. And if you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. Of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future, but you just feel nice and loose, OK, because we’re all on the same team,” Trump added.
There were a few chuckles from the crowd, including when Trump joked that he liked his own signature.
By the end of the speech, some members of the crowd stood and some lightly applauded.
ABC News contributed to this report
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