Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday to discuss the proposed UP-Norfolk Southern merger. (Photo: White House photo via UP)
President Donald Trump praised Union Pacific Chief Executive Jim Vena and said the railroader offered suggestions on where the administration should call up the National Guard to fight urban crime.
Vena met with Trump and other administration officials at the White House Sept. 9 regarding UP’s (NYSE: UNP) $85 billion proposed merger with Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC).
“He was a very impressive guy,” Trump said during an appearance Friday on Fox News, noting Vena is a career railroader, “as opposed to a Wall Street guy that destroys the railroad.”
Trump sought Vena’s advice on what cities the administration should consider sending National Guard troops to as part of its strategy to reduce crime. Vena suggested Memphis, St. Louis, and Chicago.
The CEO was on the board at Memphis-based FedEx (NYSE: FDX) until 2023. “He said, ‘When I walk one block to my hotel, they don’t allow me to do it,’” Trump said. ‘“They put me in an armored vehicle with bulletproof glass to take me one block,’ he said. ‘It’s so terrible.’”
The president announced on the program that he planned to have National Guard troops sent to Memphis.
“Memphis is … a great music city, it’s the home of Elvis and everything else,” Trump said. “But I said to him, ‘Where else should we go? Where would you say?’”
Vena, Trump said, recommended St. Louis and Chicago. “He said, ‘Sir, please, do me a favor,’” Trump said. “‘St. Louis has been so badly hit. It’s very hard, very, very, hard.’”
“He said, ‘Don’t lose Chicago. You’re gonna lose Chicago, sir. It’s a great city,’” Trump said.
The president has criticized Illinois Democrats for failing to crack down on violent crime. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have opposed Trump’s calls to send in the National Guard, noting that violent crime rates are down significantly this year.
Union Pacific said Vena was honored to meet the president in the Oval Office.
“They discussed how creating an American transcontinental railroad is a win for U.S. competition, consumers, and the unionized workers whose jobs will be protected when the merger is approved; allowing railroads to grow and take more trucks off taxpayer funded highways,” spokeswoman Kristen South said. “They also addressed the safety and security of all Americans, and that we regularly collaborate with communities to keep our employees and customers’ cargo safe.”
Vena, speaking at an investor conference on Sept. 10, said White House officials understood the rationale behind the proposed transcontinental railroad. “They get it,” he said. “They understand the value of what we’re proposing, and they think it’s an absolute win for the country.”
Dispatching the National Guard to fight crime is a controversial practice. The Trump administration claims it’s necessary to restore law and order. But critics say it’s an overreach and question the legality of activating the National Guard against the wishes of governors.
California officials sued the Trump administration after the National Guard was deployed in Los Angeles earlier this year to quell protests related to immigration raids in the city. A federal judge later ruled that sending the guard to the city was illegal.
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