Trump’s Tough Guy Act Is Making America Less Safe

Public safety isn’t soldiers in the streets—it’s safe schools, safe jobs, safe neighborhoods

Donald Trump is once again trying to play the tough guy. He’s already deployed U.S. military forces into cities like D.C. and L.A., and now he’s eyeing places like Baltimore and my hometown, Chicago. He claims it’s about public safety. It’s not.

It’s political theater—dangerous, cynical acting. It’s a smokescreen to distract from his failures on the economy, the job market, and his own legal messes. A power grab to look strong as his popularity tanks.

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And here’s the part that really pisses me off: while Trump flexes for the cameras, he’s actively making Americans less safe. He’s undermining local law enforcement, trashing municipal leadership, and burning through our tax dollars to do it. He’s got FBI agents babysitting drunk college kids in Georgetown instead of going after drug rings and human traffickers. Meanwhile, he’s slashing the very programs that actually reduce violence and keep communities safe.

Let’s pause here and make a distinction we don’t talk about enough:

Crime is statistical. Safety is emotional.

Crime is homicide rates, burglaries, shootings per capita.

Safety is whether you feel okay letting your kid walk to school, sit on the porch, ride the train without looking over your shoulder.

Trump knows people crave safety. So do Republicans. But instead of facts, they sell fear. They tell you you’re not safe, then roll in the troops to “prove” it.

It’s bullshit.

Crime surged during the pandemic, but now? It’s plummeting.

• Baltimore saw a 62% drop in monthly homicides this spring.

• Chicago just logged its steepest homicide decline in a decade.

• New York had its lowest first-quarter shootings since 1994.

Republicans love to dunk on “Democratic cities,” but here’s the inconvenient truth: crime is rising in red states while it’s falling in blue ones.

And you couldn’t pay a GOP official to address the disaster in their own backyards:

• West Virginia leads the nation in overdose deaths.

• Oklahoma has the worst schools in the country.

• Texas’s power grid collapses every time it gets hot or cold.

• Louisiana is the murder capital of America.

• Mississippi has the highest poverty rate.

Where’s the Republican urgency on those crises?

Their policy failures—on education, guns, health care, infrastructure—are tanking their own states. And Trump? He doesn’t give a damn. He’s chasing headlines and cheap applause at the expense of his own voters.

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Let’s zoom out and look at the GOP’s budget train wreck:

Billions slashed from community policing which means fewer cops on the streets. Hundreds of safety orgs cut off from DOJ grants—$820 million, gone.

These weren’t extras. They were the backbone of actual, proven progress. A few more highlights from the GOP chopping block:

• $13 million cut from rural law enforcement investigating sexual assault and child abuse

• $169 million cut from community violence prevention programs that stop shootings before they happen

And then Trump turns around and accuses Democrats of defunding the police?

The hypocrisy is staggering.

This is the GOP playbook: defund government until it breaks, then point at the wreckage and say, “See? Told you it doesn’t work.”

Let’s be crystal clear: Trump has no business pretending to be America’s top cop.

He won’t release the full Epstein files—because his name’s in them.
He’s been indicted for fraud, obstruction, and more.
Now he’s militarizing city streets to protect his image.

He doesn’t care about law and order. He cares about Donald Trump.

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And Democrats—listen up. On policy, we’re winning.

Crime is down.
Community programs are working.
Federal investments have helped cities like Baltimore, Chicago, and New York make real progress.

I live in Chicago—I feel the difference. There’s still work to do, but we’re moving in the right direction.

But on messaging? We’re getting our asses handed to us.

Republicans own the emotional ground on “safety” because Democrats don’t claim it boldly enough. We throw statistics at people who are scared, instead of speaking to what they feel.

Time to flip the script:

We’re not weak on crime. We’re strong on safety.

Republicans stage fear. Democrats fight like hell to keep you safe.

Trump militarizes our cities. Democrats invest in our communities.

Because public safety isn’t soldiers in the streets—it’s safe schools, safe jobs, safe neighborhoods based around community policing, mutual trust and respect, and politicians who actually give a damn.