Donald Trump Says He Is Willing To Send 75,000 Federal Agents Into American Cities
In an attempt to quell violent crime, Donald Trump has revealed that he is ready to send as many as 75,000 federal agents in American cities. This announcement coincides with the president's latest campaign theme that adopts a law and order mantle ahead of the impending election.
Trump began his telephone interview with Fox News by saying he was willing to send 50,000, 60,000 people into American cities, but later increased those figures to 75,000. To carry out this action, the president said it would require local authorities to come forward and ask for help.
While he admitted that it requires them to be invited, Trump said at some stage they will be left with no choice but to do something stronger than just waiting to be invited in. The president revealed that they are capable and ready of heading straight into the cities to taking necessary actions and quell violent crimes that the cities have had to deal with.
Sending as many as 75,000 officers into the city marks a notable portion of all federal officers in the country. Last year's Bureau of Justice Statistics report suggests there were 100,000 federal law enforcement officers in the entire country back in 2016 for which data was available.
Trump has left no stone unturned in a bid to make federal policing a campaign issue, touting cities as out of control and violent in an appeal to suburban residents. The president said earlier this week that he is willing to outpour federal law enforcement officers to other American cities including Chicago, ignoring resistance from local leaders and adopting a hardline law and order mantle ahead of the upcoming election.
In its attempt to portray Joe Biden as anti-police, Trump's campaign has adopted themes of chaos and violence. In the wake of demonstrations and violent protests triggered by George Floyd's death, Trump resorted to conveying a tough-on-crime message that includes the involvement of federal law enforcement, which is now underway.
Trump addressed The Suburban Housewives of America in his tweet on Thursday, telling them that Biden will destroy their neighborhood, while he promises to not just preserve it but make it better. During a recently concluded Fox News interview, the president said he spoke with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot who ignored the president's warnings about sending federal officers to the city.
In addition to Chicago, other cities could face surged federal law enforcement presence. In an interview with CNN, the Department of Homeland Security officials said that a CBP (Customs and Border Protection) team has been sent to Seattle, where it will be on standby to protect federal facilities.