Trump threatens to cut funding to so-called 'anarchist' cities like Portland and NYC if they refuse to let him send federal forces to confront protesters

• President Trump has signed a White House memo ordering officials to find ways to cut federal funding to cities deemed "anarchist jurisdictions."
• It singles out New York City; Washington, DC; and Portland, Oregon, as examples.
• It says that defunding police, or "unreasonably" rejecting federal assistance to quell protests, can be reasons for defunding.
• Critics are calling the move a stunt, and say any such action would require congressional approval.

President Donald Trump has told officials to find ways to cut federal funding to Democrat-led cities described as "anarchist jurisdictions", which the he accuses of permitting lawlessness and rioting.

Trump on Wednesday signed a memo which aimed to "hold local politicians accountable for refusing to protect their communities from rioting, looting, and mass property destruction."

New York City; Portland, Oregon; Seattle; and Washington, DC, are identified as cities where federal agencies will be told to find "authorities available to withhold funds."

The memo says Attorney General Bill Barr and acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf are to determine which cities are "anarchist jurisdictions."

It says they will do so by considering factors such as their "whether the city defunded the police or prevented local law enforcement from intervening to restore order."

They will also weigh whether a jurisdiction "unreasonably refuses to accept offers of law enforcement assistance from the Federal Government."

It directs them to publish a list of "anarchist jurisdictions" in two weeks.

Over the summer, the largest anti-racism protests in decades have swept the US, sparked by the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis.

Trump has made the ongoing unrest in cities across America the centerpiece of his reelection campaign. He's accused Democrats of allowing lawlessness and rioting and sought to portray himself as the champion of law and order.

While Democrats have expressed support for peaceful protests against systemic racism, and Democratic politicians have taken part in demonstrations, Trump has spread conspiracy theories about the protests being orchestrated by extremists.

—Charlie Savage (@charlie_savage) September 3, 2020

The president has clashed with Democratic mayors and municipal authorities over the deployment of federal agents in cities to quell the protests.

In Portland, authorities said the deployment risked worsening the situation. For weeks agents deployed to defend a federal courthouse there fought with demonstrators, deploying tear gas in clashes.

In a statement to The Guardian, Harvard constitutional law expert Lawrence Tribe said the memo lacked legal authority. He said funding decisions require congressional approval and are not decided by the White House alone.

Trump "has no defunding spigot. The power of the purse belongs to Congress, not the Executive. Donald Trump must have slept through high school civics," Tribe told the publication.