As state and local government around the United States are buckling under pressure from the Black Lives Matter movement and protests to de-fund the police, President Trump held a round table today to show his support for law enforcement, called "Stakeholders Positively Impacted by Law Enforcement."  He invited law enforcement, and people who have been effected positively by law enforcement, to discuss the importance of the system nationwide. 

In his opening remarks, President Trump was very clear that there are two sides in this battle for law and order across America.  He said that the “radical left” is waging war, and that the current state of many cities run by liberal governments are worse than any war zone America is currently involved in. 

While law enforcement has been under attack in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the president said VP Mike Pence and AG Bill Barr are working around the clock to protect law enforcement nationwide, who have been “unfairly treated.” 

President Trump then laid out some of the recent numbers as cities have moved to de-fund the police.  In particular, Mayor de Blasio cut funding for the NYPD by $1 Billion.  Almost instantly, crime throughout the city skyrocketed.  President Trump said that in one week in particular, crime and violence increased by 358%, and said the mayor should be more focused on getting his city under control rather than painting “Black Lives Matter” on the street outside of Trump Tower. 

Why this matters: As President Trump portrays himself as the “law and order president,” he at first received harsh backlash for not joining in with the protestors.  Now, as crime and violence increase, President Trump said he is willing to go into cities to make sure its citizens are safe, an unprecedented move.  He noted that the executive order he passed to protect federal statues and monuments has worked very well, and that the federal government went into help Portland, Oregon, bringing peace to the city.  Knowing that this is a campaign issue, he said that if you want the country run without law and order, you should vote for “Sleepy Joe Biden.”

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