President Donald Trump suggests he could take over police in NYC, but it’s not clear he has the authority

The president could also mobilize the state National Guard to assist local authorities, but there are limits to what kind of enforcement guard soldiers can provide if deputized by Trump, said Jillian Snider, an associate lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

“It would be more as a backup to the local law enforcement, but they would not have the powers of arrest,” Snider, a former NYPD officer, said in a phone interview.

Even if Trump were to deploy the New York National Guard, Snider said he could face legal challenges such as the one the administration is currently dealing with in California, after deploying California National Guard troops in June to respond to widespread protests in Los Angeles spurred by a series of immigration raids.