(MENAFN) U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he has directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to begin using American urban centers as "training grounds" for military forces.

This directive is part of his broader strategy of deploying troops into a growing number of cities.

Speaking at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, Trump outlined this initiative as a response to increasing domestic issues related to crime and immigration, framing it as a "war from within."

During his address to high-ranking military officials, Trump stated, "I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military, National Guard, but military."

He further elaborated that many of the cities in question are governed by Democrats and, in his view, are struggling due to poor leadership.

"Democrats run most of the cities that are in bad shape," he claimed, while also acknowledging that not all cities fall into this category.

He cited major metropolitan areas such as San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles as examples of places he considers "very unsafe," adding, "We're going to straighten that one by one."

He described this domestic effort as equally significant as foreign military engagements, calling it "a war, too. It's a war from within."

Previously, Trump had already authorized the National Guard to be dispatched to Los Angeles and Washington, DC, and he is reportedly planning a similar move in Memphis, Tennessee.

In addition to the National Guard, he has also sent Marine units to Los Angeles in response to civil disturbances linked to his strict immigration policies.

Most recently, the president revealed on Saturday his intent to deploy the "military" to Portland, Oregon. He reiterated on Tuesday that Portland remains, in his words, "a war zone."

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