Progressives Cry Foul, But Trump’s Crime Crackdown Is Working

For progressives—Democrats, our expert class, and the legacy media—there has been a lot of pearl-clutching concerning President Trump’s sending of National Guard troops to quell violence in our Nation’s Capital.  It says here, this is the right thing to do, and it is good politics at the same time.

Let’s eliminate one of the complaints about the action—that it is somehow illegal due to it not being requested by the Mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser.  Put this into the category of letting stupid guide the thinking.  From day one, the Capital was established as an entity of the Federal Government.  There are reasons why some might not have understood this.  In the late 1960s, the drive for Home Rule took root.  In 1974, Walter Washington became the first elected Mayor since 1871.  However, at no point did the Federal Government surrender its ultimate authority over D.C.  Thus, the action may be many things; however, “illegal and Unconstitutional” is not one of them.

The second complaint is that things are going so well that there is no need for this action.  In fact, in 2024, there were 187 killings, a rate of 27.3 per 100,000. This is higher than Chicago and seven times higher than New York City.  Prior to President Trump ordering the troops on August 11, there had been 99 murders this year, 20 in the month of May alone.  If those numbers are satisfactory to you, feel free to keep complaining about the President’s actions.  After all, the Mayor and other officials loudly complained about it at the outset.  My bet is that most Americans agree those are the sorts of numbers that justify what is being done.  One can quote statistics—often flawed and/or representing cooked books—Americans are not buying it.

It is fair to ask how things are going after sending in the Guard.  Violent crime, relative to August 7-25 of 2024, was sliced by more than half.  The numbers for carjacking are even better.  The first murder took place this week.  Things are going so well that Mayor Bowser is now publicly praising the change taking place.  Pretty sure this is more fun than pretending the numbers in the past were fine and dandy.

This brings us to Chicago.  Last weekend, there were 27 shootings, with five deaths, including two teenagers.  In the scheme of things, those numbers are slightly better than normal.  For the year, there have been 665 weekend shootings, with 188 deaths.  Still, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson loudly and self-righteously say they will fight tooth and nail against any attempt by President Trump to use the National Guard in the Windy City.  In their world, these statistics do not require any intervention.

Since the “Summer of Love” of 2020—marked by riots, looting, and violence—many serving on the police force have decided it is not worth it.  Being subjected to unfair criticism and a lack of support from mayors, district attorneys, and judges has a high cost to it.  In some instances, they have simply declined to intervene in violent situations, knowing the criminal will be back on the street before their dinner turns cold.  Others have decided to quit outright.  Between 2019 and 2023, 3300 Chicago cops have decided to find work elsewhere.

One is tempted to ask where all those “if it only saves one life” people are.  For progressives, this is all a losing game.  To be positioned as caring more about criminals than victims and their families is not a good look.  They can talk until they are blue in the face about how wonderful the crime numbers are.  For good reason, the public does not agree.  Failure to embrace tough measures and a lack of support for First Responders might thrill Progressives.  The rest of us are saying Do better, and we will not accept the status quo.  If that means involving the National Guard, so be it.  Elitists living in gated communities with private security can look down their noses all day long.  This is not a matter of good manners.

Remember this:  The American public prizes public safety over the need for a sympathetic view of the people committing violent crimes.  Progressives stick to their guns at their own political peril.  What do you think?