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New Orleans Democrats pushed back on President Donald Trump’s suggestion to send National Guard troops to the Louisiana city to help fight crime, with one accusing him of “scare tactics and politicizing public safety.”
The outcry came after Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday “we’re making a determination now” as to where National Guard resources will be deployed next.
“Do we go to Chicago or do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that’s become quite, you know, quite tough, quite bad,” Trump said. “So we’re going to be going to, maybe Louisiana, and you have New Orleans, which has a crime problem, we will straighten that out in about two weeks. It’ll take us two weeks. Easier than D.C.”
Landry, a Republican, appeared to embrace Trump’s offer, writing on X in response: “We will take President Donald Trump’s help from New Orleans to Shreveport!”
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However, Democrat City Council President Helena Moreno slammed Trump’s remarks, saying in a statement that “we have had an unprecedented reduction in crime and violence in New Orleans,” which is a blue city in a red state.
“This is an attack on certain cities. There are many cities with mayors aligned with this President whose crime issues are severe, but they’re not targeted,” added Moreno, who is running to be the next mayor of New Orleans. “That clearly shows that this is about scare tactics and public safety. Ultimately leading to the misuse of public funds and resources to attempt to score political points.”
“We cannot allow this, and I will fight to prevent any federal takeover of New Orleans,” she declared.
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U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, a Democrat whose district includes New Orleans, called Trump’s comments a “political stunt.”
“Militarizing the streets of New Orleans is not a solution. Period,” he said in a statement. “If the President wants to provide federal resources to the City, I’ll work with him to provide funding to recruit and better train police officers, better fund our district attorney, fix the infrastructure at Orleans Parish Prison and fund the very programs he has cut that get at the root cause of crime: systemic poverty.”
The City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department also released a joint statement Wednesday saying that, “We have consistently worked with our federal partners, including collaborations with the Louisiana State Police,” and that, “This collaborative approach has been instrumental in our ongoing success in reducing crime.”
“Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the women and men of the NOPD, the strategic use of advanced technology, and a steadfast commitment to constitutional policing, strong public safety partnerships have also played a critical role in driving and sustaining this downward trend in crime,” that statement read.
“Our federal and state partnerships have played a significant role in ensuring public safety, particularly during special events for a world-class city,” the statement added. “The City of New Orleans and NOPD remain committed to sustaining this momentum, ensuring that every neighborhood continues to feel the impact of these combined efforts.”
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