(Crankers) President Donald Trump has put the pressure on politicians to clean up crime, or face the wrath of the government. Following the mounting pressure from Trump, California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom announced the deployment of new “crime suppression” teams of California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers to major regions, including Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and San Diego.
The units are tasked with cracking down on specific issues like auto theft, retail theft, and narcotics.
Critics of Newsom say it’s unfortunate that it took pressure from Trump for him to care about crime. Meanwhile, Trump and Newsom continue to clash as they typically do. Newsom has publicly pushed back against Trump’s criticisms of crime in California, using a press conference to highlight that some Republican-led states have higher per-capita crime and homicide rates.
Newsom presented data from 2023, citing homicide rates in Republican-led states like Louisiana and Mississippi, which he noted were nearly four times higher than California’s.
It’s important to note that there’s a difference between per capita and total crime numbers, and California might still have higher levels of crime, but a lower per capita because the population is much higher. Either way, most people would appreciate a reduced amount of crime no matter where they live.
Trump’s criminal crackdown in D.C. seems to be working, despite criticism. Trump is using the National Guard to create a presence and support local law enforcement. Gavin Newsom is using California State Troopers to do essentially the same thing. At the end of the day, they’re both cracking down on crime and that’s what’s needed.