White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismantled a narrative that President Donald Trump is targeting blue states in his quest to get crime under control nationwide.
When a reporter asked Leavitt if Trump will work with GOP-led states to tackle crime, the press secretary said the premise of the question reflects a false mainstream narrative.
“Yes, there is crime in red states. Of course, there is crime in all states, but the crime in these cities is all in cities that are run by Democrats. If you look at the list of the top 20 high-crime cities in the United States, every single one, with the exception of one in Louisiana, is run by a Democrat.”
These Democrat leaders, Leavitt continued, have supported soft-on-crime policies, including cashless bail, which is when suspects do not have to pay any bail to be released from jail while awaiting trial.
Highlighting Jackson, Mississippi — a blue city in a red state, Leavitt noted the city “eliminated cash bail for virtually all misdemeanor cases.” The city also acts like a de facto sanctuary jurisdiction.
Similarly, Birmingham, Alabama, passed a resolution “committing to establish sanctuary policies,” the press secretary added.
“If you actually look at the facts, there are cities that are run by Democrats … and they have all supported these disastrous policies, which allow repeated career criminals back onto the streets to further commit acts of violence.”
Trump, Leavitt said, wants to work with “anyone across this country who wants to end these horrible policies and bring law and order to our streets.”
Q: “Would the President consider working with Red state governors to fix high crime in Blue cities like Memphis?”
PRESS SEC: “If you look at the list of the top 20 high-crime cities in the United States, every single one, with the exception of one in Louisiana, is run by a… pic.twitter.com/sQoF5q9QIJ
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 9, 2025
Indeed, the vast majority of high crime and violent crime cities across the nation are run by Democrats, and more specifically, adopt soft-on-crime policies, like cashless bail and other so-called justice reforms that routinely hurt victims.
For example, the top-five most violent cities in the U.S., based on the violent crime rate per 100,000 residents, are Memphis, Detroit, Baltimore, Houston, and Nashville. They are all run by Democrats.
President Donald Trump has already worked with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, to quickly clean up our nation’s capital. He’s also said he plans on deploying National Guardsmen to other violent cities, including Chicago.
Related: In Less Than A Month, Trump’s Federal D.C. Force Makes More Than 1K Arrests
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