When Donald Trump says he wants to clean up America’s crime-ridden cities, the left instantly screams “authoritarian!” It’s the same tired playbook they've used since his first term about pretty much anything he’s done, lying to frame any bold action as some sinister plot for power.
Case in point: last month, a coalition of 19 Democrat governors issued one of the most hysterical joint statements you’ll ever read, claiming the president’s crime-fighting proposals were an attack on blue states. They huffed that sending in the National Guard without a governor’s permission would be “an alarming abuse of power” and insisted Trump was undermining the military. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker was even more dramatic, accusing Trump of using crime as a flimsy excuse just to intimidate Democrats.
According to Pritzker, “This is not about fighting crime. This is about Donald Trump searching for any justification to deploy the military in a blue city, in a blue state, to try and intimidate his political rivals.”
That narrative just blew up in their faces.
Trump is openly considering deploying the National Guard to Louisiana, a red state, where leaders actually want the help.
Sorry, lefties, Trump isn’t targeting blue states; he’s targeting crime. And the proof is right in front of them.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, has no problem working with Washington to address violent crime.
We will take President @realDonaldTrump’s help from New Orleans to Shreveport! https://t.co/K1ES7n4ip1
— Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) September 3, 2025
From a state that has had its fair share of crime problems, it’s refreshing to see leaders actually put safety before politics.
Trump praised Landry for his willingness to confront crime head-on, a sharp contrast to the obstructionist attitudes of the Democratic governors planning to run for president in 2028, who need to put up an anti-Trump front for the sake of their political ambitions.
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Meanwhile, officials in New Orleans are hardly crying foul here. Quite the opposite. The city recently highlighted how closely it works with both the feds and the Louisiana State Police to make real headway in fighting crime. The New Orleans Police Department credited a steady reduction in crime to a mix of strategies: dedicated officers, better tech, and productive partnerships across agencies. They specifically mentioned the federal government’s SEAR 1 grant, which plays a critical role in helping the city keep order during major events. And why wouldn’t they? New Orleans is an international tourist destination; it quite literally depends on safety to survive.
Even Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat, is supportive of Trump’s efforts. She reposted a City Hall statement emphasizing the importance of protecting the city’s hard-won progress in driving crime down, though she did stop short of saying whether or not the Guard should be deployed.
City of New Orleans and NOPD Release Statement! pic.twitter.com/IujieXCeRp
— The City Of New Orleans (@CityOfNOLA) September 3, 2025
That sounds far less like the partisan shrieking we’ve come to expect and much more like the sober reality of local leaders who know they need all the help they can get.
And that underscores the real story here. Trump isn’t the problem; it’s the Democrats who can’t resist the reflex to “resist.” Their obsession isn’t fighting crime or protecting their citizens, but fighting Trump. They see public safety as a political chess piece, something to block and weaponize if it means they can posture for national attention or jockey for a presidential run.
If Democrat governors had an ounce of humility, they’d recognize that crime isn’t partisan, but that it’s a plague on neighborhoods regardless of whether they vote red or blue. But for the left, keeping Trump from a win matters more than keeping its own citizens safe. It’s cynical, it’s reckless, and it exposes exactly whose interests the left really serves.
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