March 23, 2026
Pearson, who is running for U.S. Senate, issued a flier for a protest rally on the same date of the president’s arrival to the beat of Crime Mob’s “Knuck If Your Buck.”
Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson is reminding his constituents why President Donald Trump isn’t welcome to the city of Memphis ahead of his scheduled March 23 visit.
In a video posted to TikTok, Pearson, a Democrat, gave his rundown.
“Listen, he isn’t welcome here as I’ve said before. The reality is he’s trying to use us as a part of his authoritarian playbook and his scheme, and treating our city as a pawn. This is a beautiful place, but we don’t want him here,” Pearson said.
He continued to shine a light on how Trump hasn’t done much to help the city. “He hasn’t actually helped contribute any of the necessary resources to reduce poverty; he’s a racist, posted racist images of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, the first lady and president of the United States, as apes,” Pearson said.
He then referenced the growing conflict in Iran, calling it “unwinnable.” “This man is using us, and anyone who has a sense of who he truly is doesn’t need to stand there and instead needs to be with the community tomorrow as we protest, as we speak up, and we fight to end the unsafe task force.”
Prior to, Pearson, who is running for U.S. Senate, issued a flier for a protest rally on the same date as the president’s arrival to the beat of Crime Mob’s famous “Knuck If You Buck” song.
Trump is scheduled to meet for a roundtable discussion regarding the Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF), mentioned by Pearson, almost six months after the National Guard made its mark in the city. Labeling Memphis as one of the most dangerous U.S. cities, Trump claims it’s because of the task force that crime has gone down.
According to Action News 5, the task force has made over 7,200 arrests, seized close to 1,200 illegal firearms, and located 150 missing children since the task force’s launch. Crime has seen a 45% decrease overall.
While the Shelby County Republican Party held a welcome party, with supporters showing up with signs, Rep. Steve Cohen, who Pearson hopes to unseat in the upcoming election, seems to agree with his opponent and former intern, saying it’s time for the task force and National Guard to go.
“We don’t need ICE and we don’t need national guard,” Cohen said.
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