In a recent interview, former Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, challenged former President Donald Trump’s claim of being a “law and order” candidate, likening it to her playing in the NBA.
What Happened: Napolitano made this comparison during an interview on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki,” as reported by The Hill on Sunday. She was responding to Trump’s repeated claims that crime in the U.S. is “worse than ever.”
She said, “So, first of all, for former President Trump to run as a so-called law and order candidate, it would be like me saying I play in the NBA. I mean, it just… just doesn't hold true.”
While acknowledging an increase in crime in some cities, Psaki and Napolitano pointed out that crime has decreased in most parts of the country. Napolitano, who served under the Obama administration, refuted the idea that crime has surged during President Joe Biden’s tenure.
“There was a significant spike in violent crime during the end of the Trump presidency, in the midst of the COVID pandemic. However, crime has been decreasing in some years dramatically since then,” Napolitano stated.
She further emphasized that 2023 saw the largest one-year decrease in violent crime nationwide since around 1960. “So, to say, we are awash in violent crime that it’s going up, et cetera, et cetera. Look, never let the facts get in the way of rhetoric, I guess. But the facts are the facts,” she added.
Napolitano also refuted the Republican narrative of migrant crime being a major driver of crime, labeling it as a distortion of the facts. The Hill has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment.
Why It Matters: Trump’s ‘law and order’ claim comes amidst a series of legal challenges that could potentially impact his plans for a 2024 presidential run.
In March, a Fox contributor compared Trump’s legal troubles to those of infamous cult leader Charles Manson, as reported by Benzinga. These legal challenges could potentially undermine Trump’s ‘law and order’ candidacy claim.
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