(MENAFN) U.S. President Donald Trump labeled the ongoing unrest in Portland, Oregon, as an "insurrection" and advocated for the deployment of National Guard troops to the city in response to what he described as rising crime.

"If you take a look at what's been going on in Portland... That's insurrection. I mean, that's pure insurrection," Trump declared during an interview with media.

The president also took aim at Illinois Governor JB Pritzker over escalating gun violence in Chicago, describing the situation as out of control.

"In Chicago, with Pritzker, they lose 5 a weekend, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 — it's crazy... and then he gets up on television and tells everyone how safe it is," Trump said, criticizing the governor's public statements on crime in the city.

Trump's remarks come as the nation continues to debate the federal government's role in addressing violent crime in major urban centers and the appropriateness of National Guard deployments without state approval.

"We'll make it safe. I can make it safe...Why would you not let the military come in, meaning National Guard or whatever?" he asserted, pushing for federal intervention.

However, Trump's push for National Guard deployment in Portland faced legal challenges. On Sunday, U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, temporarily blocked the president's efforts to send troops to the city, ruling that the administration had tried to bypass a prior court order by attempting to deploy California National Guard members.

Earlier Monday, Trump suggested he was considering invoking the Insurrection Act of 1792, a seldom-used law that grants the president the authority to send active-duty military forces to assist in law enforcement during times of civil unrest.

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