Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena’s recent White House conversations with President Donald Trump included a discussion about deploying National Guard troops to U.S. cities — talks that preceded Trump’s decision to send Guard units to Memphis, according to FreightWaves’ reporting and the president’s own public remarks.
On Friday, September 12, Trump announced he will deploy the Guard to Memphis, saying the move came after he asked Vena for counsel during an Oval Office meeting earlier in the week. The president said Vena specifically encouraged him to focus on Memphis, and also raised St. Louis as a potential next city. Local outlets in Missouri and public radio in Columbia separately reported the exchange, citing Trump’s on-air account.
Union Pacific, asked about the conversation, said Vena’s meeting with Trump centered on the railroad’s proposed $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern to create a coast-to-coast network, while adding that the company “regularly collaborate[s] with communities to keep our employees and customers’ cargo safe.” The company declined to elaborate on the specifics of the Guard discussion.
Memphis leaders — who were not the ones requesting troops — have pushed back on the idea that City Hall welcomed the deployment. Mayor Paul Young said he learned of the final decision only when Trump announced it live and stressed he was “certainly not happy” about the move, even as he prepares city agencies to manage its impact.
The administration has framed Memphis as the latest front in a broader campaign to send the Guard into Democratic-led cities to combat violent crime. In the same Friday news cycle, national outlets reported Trump linking his decision to recent consultations with Vena; the Guardian also noted Trump incorrectly suggested a Union Pacific executive served on FedEx’s board while discussing Memphis.
The White House argues deployments have worked elsewhere and says Tennessee leaders back the plan. But Friday’s announcement drew immediate legal and political scrutiny, with civil-liberties groups and some local officials questioning the necessity and effectiveness of using military forces for civilian policing. National outlets emphasized that overall U.S. crime has been trending down, even as the administration highlights high-profile incidents to justify deployments.
In St. Louis, Mayor Cara Spencer’s office said it had no notice of any Guard plans after Trump said Vena urged him to send troops there next. Statewide broadcasters in Missouri reported that the city confirmed with the governor’s office that no such deployment was in the works as of Friday.
The corporate context loomed over the week’s developments. Reuters reported Friday that Vena discussed Union Pacific’s proposed takeover of Norfolk Southern during his White House visit and has expressed confidence the deal will win approval — a consolidation that would reshape U.S. freight rail if federal regulators sign off. That outreach and the Guard conversation unfolded in the same stretch of meetings, underscoring the unusual overlap of corporate lobbying, public safety policy and presidential decision-making.
City leaders in other metros are now bracing for shifting targets. The Washington Post reported Sunday that the administration’s unpredictable approach — floating Chicago, pivoting to Memphis, and hinting at St. Louis — has left mayors scrambling to coordinate with governors and weigh legal options while preparing contingency plans for a federal military presence.
Sources: FreightWaves, Associated Press, Reuters, The Washington Post, The Guardian, KBIA
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