(NewsNation) — Political commentator Mehdi Hasan believes that while President Trump has a legal right to enforce a federal crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C., the president does not truly care about the issue.
Hasan, the CEO of “Zeteo,” joined “On Balance” to hotly debate host Leland Vittert, suggesting Trump should not have stepped in.
He noted, “Of course, crime should be stopped,” but stated that the National Guard “is not the solution.”
President Trump deployed more than 120 U.S. marshals and other federal agents throughout the capital to crack down on the crime he says has been plaguing the city. National Guard troops will also begin deploying to the area in the coming days.
According to Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, 56% of carjacking suspect arrests since August 2023 have been kids younger than 18.
‘Way better than before’: DC residents react to fed takeover
“Is Trump planning to send the National Guard to every city? Is he going to send the National Guard to Aurora, Colorado, which has a Republican mayor?” Hasan said.
“You can’t solve the crime problem by sending the National Guard. We’re Americans, we don’t like the military on our streets, we’re not a tinpot dictatorship, we should be able to sort out crime through law enforcement, through policy,” he added.
Hasan said Trump does not care about crime in D.C., citing the events of Jan. 6, 2021, as his reasoning.
“Medhi, you’re going to sit here and say, ‘If Trump cures cancer, then January 6 was terrible. You can’t have an argument about what’s happening on the streets of D.C. without going back to January 6?” Vittert said.
“You won’t talk actually about the crime … you’re talking about completely different things,” he added.
