Trump considers deploying federal law enforcement to cities including New York and Chicago
From the Oval Office on Monday, President Trump announced that he is considering sending federal law enforcement to New York, Chicago and other cities with Democratic mayors to round up “anarchists.”
Video Transcript
- Mr. President, in Portland and other cities that are experiencing violence, there was a report out this morning that you're considering sending 175 federal troops to these cities to help local law enforcement. Can you fill us in on that?
DONALD TRUMP: Well, it depends on what your definition of troops is. We're sending law enforcement. Portland was totally out of control, the Democrats or liberal Democrats running the place have no idea what they were doing. They were ripping down for 51 days, ripping down that city, destroying the city, looting it. The level of corruption and what was going on there is incredible.
And then the governor comes out, we don't need any help. How about Chicago? I read the numbers were many people killed over the weekend. We're looking at Chicago too. We're looking at New York. Look at what's going on. All run by Democrats, all run by very liberal Democrats, all run really by radical left. But we can't let this happen to the cities.
New York was up 348%, the crime rate. So the governor has to do something about it. And if the governor is not going to do something about it, we'll do something about it. But what's happening in New York, a place I love, I love New York, and look at what's going on over there. The woman who was shot because she said, could you please not let off firecrackers? And they turned around and shot her eight times and she died.
That's not our civilization. That's not about us. And then the police are afraid to do anything. I know New York very well, I know the police very well. New York's finest. And the fact is, they're restricted from doing anything. They can't do anything.
- So what are you planning on doing?
DONALD TRUMP: Well, I'm going to do something, that I can tell you. Because we're not going to let New York and Chicago and Philadelphia, Detroit and Baltimore and all of these-- Oakland is a mess. We're not going to let this happen in our country. All run by liberal Democrats.
- So more federal law enforcement to some of these cities?
DONALD TRUMP: We're going to have more federal law enforcement, that I can tell you. And Portland, they've done a fantastic job. They've been there three days, and they really have done a fantastic job in a very short period of time. No problem. They grab them, a lot of people in jail, their leaders-- these are anarchists, these are not protesters.
People say protesters, these people are anarchists. These are people that hate our country. And we're not going to let it go forward. And I'll tell you what, the governor and the mayor and the senators out there, they're afraid of these people. That's the reason they don't want us to help them, they're afraid.
I really believe they're actually, maybe even physically, afraid of these people. Because what they're doing is incredible. We didn't just go there, this wasn't like it started right away. We went there after 51 days. We said, we can't let that happen anymore. But these are anarchists. And the politicians out there, yes, they're weak, but they're afraid of these people. They're actually afraid of these people.
And that's why they say, we don't want the federal government helping. How about Chicago? Would you say they need help after this weekend? Do you know the numbers? Did you hear the numbers? Many, many shot, many, many killed. Many, many-- I'm not talking about one, two. Was it 18 people killed? I think more than that.
And you add it up over the summer. This is worse than Afghanistan by far. This is worse than anything anyone's ever seen. All run by the same liberal Democrats. And you know what? If Biden got in, that would be true for the country. The whole country would go to hell, and we're not going to let it go to hell. Thank you very much.
- All right, guys.
- Let's go, guys.
