Washington, Dec. 31 -- US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) announced that the National Guard will be withdrawn from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, claiming that their presence had helped reduce crime in these cities.

He also suggested that federal forces could return in the future if crime rises again.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "We are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, despite the fact that CRIME has been greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities, and ONLY by that fact. Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago were GONE if it weren't for the Federal Government stepping in. We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begi...