August 26, 2025 • 6 mins
Rich tells Mendte in the Morning that he doesn't believe President Trump has the right type of control to send National Guard troops to fight crime in cities such as Baltimore and Chicago.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now let's go to Rich Lowry, editor in chief of
the National Review. He's with us every Tuesday at this time. Rich,
I cannot figure out for the life of me, why
a major city, I don't care what their crime problems
are would turn down federal help in keeping the cities safe.
(00:21):
It baffles me. Rich.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, I have no use for Murial Bowser and the
mayor there in Washington, d C. But I think she's
had a basically pretty constructive attitude from this given where
she's positioned politically. She's like, I don't want these federal troops.
I don't think they're necessary, that this isn't the way
to handle this problem. But since you're sending them trying
to make the city safe for you know, I don't
(00:45):
think the National Guard are making the big difference in DC.
I think if they're really moving the needle fundamentally, it's
what DEA agents are doing, FBI agents are doing to
really arrest the hardcore mouth actors that most most of
these cities. You know, they're a hunt or several hundred
people known to the authorities long rap She've probably been
in jail before, who are responsible for the lion's share
(01:07):
of the gun violence. That's certainly true in DC. At
the estimate, I've seen about five hundred young guys responsible
for aoust sixty or seventy percent of the gun crime.
You got to go after them and you put those
put those guys behind bars, and you make those neighborhoods
safer and you get less violent crime. I do think,
you know, the numbers are encouraging them in DC. I
do think list there's an initial effect here where just
(01:28):
everyone's kind of keeping their head down right because they've
heard Trump's coming, they've seen the guys on the streets,
or they've seen seen them on social media on TV.
I don't know whether that's a long term effect, but
you know it's better than the alternative.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah, I'll tell you what. The National Guard, as you know,
they're just there for a deterrance. They're not really fighting
too much crime. They are there to show a presence.
But you're absolutely correct, and it's not reported enough. It's
all of the other federal resources, including the intelligence agencies,
working with all of the police detectives to root out
(02:02):
these guys. That's why there's been so many arrests, that's
why there's so many guns off the Street because of
the other agencies are involved.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Correct, Yeah. Now my worry is that that's not replicable
around the country because DC, the president Ied States can
just take over the police department, which is what they've done.
You take over the police department, and the police departments
cooperating with you by definition, right, and so, and all
the stories have been that there's pretty good collaboration between
the local cops and all these federal officers. That's not
(02:33):
going to happen in Chicago or Baltimore. So that's where
I think it's it's just harder to do this. It's frustrating.
I mean, the cities have been those kind of cities
have been so misgoverned there, even though violent crime has
been going down, they're much less safe than they should be.
And the Feds could really help, but they're gonna have
a totally rejectionist attitude.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I'll tell you what. Governor Printz are walking along the Lakefront,
which by the way, is one of the safest areas
in Chicago and talking about, look, look how safe it is. Well,
he has a security team in back of him. That
was bad timing on that, considering there was six dead
and about twenty five that were shot over the weekend
in Chicago. No, I agree with you. They have a
(03:13):
horrible crime problem. It's down, I admit it's down, but
it's down from it's down from awful to is still
really bad?
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah, yeah, And this is true the debate in Washington,
DC too, Like, all right, it's down thirty percent over
the last two years, great, wonderful, but it's still elevated
from what it was. And you talk to anyone who
lives in DC and they'll tell you I don't feel safe.
And they all have stories that either it's happened to them,
or they know someone has happened to They've been mugged,
or they've been assaulted. Or we have a young woman
(03:44):
reporter down there, excellent journalist who's harassed all the time
on the Metro, has stepped in human excrement in Union station,
right stuff. It just has to stop. It's intolerable.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Yeah, have has the National Review focused in on Zoro
and mom Donnie. Yet we have a.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Fair amount you know, we're not you know, we're National
publication on New York City Publication, so we're not as
obsessed with it as say the New York Post is
understandably and justifiably, but we've covered him a lot. I mean,
this is a big national story. It's the greatest city,
I think in the in the world, and this guy
is a communist and he's you know, at least anti
(04:21):
Semitic adjacent, and he's probably going to get elected, and
the most Jewish city outside of Israel. So it's it's done.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
It concerns me. And there are national ramifications on this,
and I know some of the obvious national ramifications the
way the Republican Party is going to use him as
the boogeyman. I know that's going to happen in the
midterm election if he wins, and it looks like he's
going to win. But there's something else going on, and
it's the young voters. Young white voters are the ones
(04:51):
that are fueling his campaign. And they're not only in
New York City, they're across the country. And I think
this is extremely concerning. What is attracting these young Democrats.
That means the party's not going to change.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah, so they're the most woke element of the Democratic Party.
And look, you know, you got to give mom Donnie credit.
Affordability is a real issue, right everyone in New York
feels it. I think what rents went up seventeen percent
last year. It's just it's outrageous. But the reason for
it is that New York City already has a bunch
of socialistic type policies, and what he's doing is saying,
(05:27):
in effect, I'm going to double down on this failure
and it's not going to work. But a lot of
young people it's a very alluring message. You know, you
have a job that's pretty well paying, and the scheme
of things, or at least compared to the kind of
jobs you get around the rest of the country, and
you still, like really have to strain to make ends meets,
and it doesn't strike you as fair. So he tapped
into a powerful theme there. It's just not the answer.
(05:49):
But this part of the Democratic Party, you know, is
hugely influential, and it's why if I were AOC, I'd
be looking seriously at running for president in twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
So you don't think she's going to run for the
Senate seat, well, I.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Think that that's a very easy play. I think Chuck
Humor is highly vulnerable in a Democratic primary in this environment,
but I think she would get traction in a national
Democratic primary. I think she'd be a real threat in
the early States. I kind of doubt she'd win the nomination,
but she could make a real serious run at that's fascinating.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Rich Lowry, editor in chief of National Review, with us
every Tuesday at this time at nine oh five. Talk
to you next week. Rich, Thank you, Hey, thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Tuxing
Now let's go to Rich Lowry, editor in chief of
the National Review. He's with us every Tuesday at this time. Rich,
I cannot figure out for the life of me, why
a major city, I don't care what their crime problems
are would turn down federal help in keeping the cities safe.
(00:21):
It baffles me. Rich.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, I have no use for Murial Bowser and the
mayor there in Washington, d C. But I think she's
had a basically pretty constructive attitude from this given where
she's positioned politically. She's like, I don't want these federal troops.
I don't think they're necessary, that this isn't the way
to handle this problem. But since you're sending them trying
to make the city safe for you know, I don't
(00:45):
think the National Guard are making the big difference in DC.
I think if they're really moving the needle fundamentally, it's
what DEA agents are doing, FBI agents are doing to
really arrest the hardcore mouth actors that most most of
these cities. You know, they're a hunt or several hundred
people known to the authorities long rap She've probably been
in jail before, who are responsible for the lion's share
(01:07):
of the gun violence. That's certainly true in DC. At
the estimate, I've seen about five hundred young guys responsible
for aoust sixty or seventy percent of the gun crime.
You got to go after them and you put those
put those guys behind bars, and you make those neighborhoods
safer and you get less violent crime. I do think,
you know, the numbers are encouraging them in DC. I
do think list there's an initial effect here where just
(01:28):
everyone's kind of keeping their head down right because they've
heard Trump's coming, they've seen the guys on the streets,
or they've seen seen them on social media on TV.
I don't know whether that's a long term effect, but
you know it's better than the alternative.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah, I'll tell you what. The National Guard, as you know,
they're just there for a deterrance. They're not really fighting
too much crime. They are there to show a presence.
But you're absolutely correct, and it's not reported enough. It's
all of the other federal resources, including the intelligence agencies,
working with all of the police detectives to root out
(02:02):
these guys. That's why there's been so many arrests, that's
why there's so many guns off the Street because of
the other agencies are involved.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Correct, Yeah. Now my worry is that that's not replicable
around the country because DC, the president Ied States can
just take over the police department, which is what they've done.
You take over the police department, and the police departments
cooperating with you by definition, right, and so, and all
the stories have been that there's pretty good collaboration between
the local cops and all these federal officers. That's not
(02:33):
going to happen in Chicago or Baltimore. So that's where
I think it's it's just harder to do this. It's frustrating.
I mean, the cities have been those kind of cities
have been so misgoverned there, even though violent crime has
been going down, they're much less safe than they should be.
And the Feds could really help, but they're gonna have
a totally rejectionist attitude.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I'll tell you what. Governor Printz are walking along the Lakefront,
which by the way, is one of the safest areas
in Chicago and talking about, look, look how safe it is. Well,
he has a security team in back of him. That
was bad timing on that, considering there was six dead
and about twenty five that were shot over the weekend
in Chicago. No, I agree with you. They have a
(03:13):
horrible crime problem. It's down, I admit it's down, but
it's down from it's down from awful to is still
really bad?
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah, yeah, And this is true the debate in Washington,
DC too, Like, all right, it's down thirty percent over
the last two years, great, wonderful, but it's still elevated
from what it was. And you talk to anyone who
lives in DC and they'll tell you I don't feel safe.
And they all have stories that either it's happened to them,
or they know someone has happened to They've been mugged,
or they've been assaulted. Or we have a young woman
(03:44):
reporter down there, excellent journalist who's harassed all the time
on the Metro, has stepped in human excrement in Union station,
right stuff. It just has to stop. It's intolerable.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Yeah, have has the National Review focused in on Zoro
and mom Donnie. Yet we have a.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Fair amount you know, we're not you know, we're National
publication on New York City Publication, so we're not as
obsessed with it as say the New York Post is
understandably and justifiably, but we've covered him a lot. I mean,
this is a big national story. It's the greatest city,
I think in the in the world, and this guy
is a communist and he's you know, at least anti
(04:21):
Semitic adjacent, and he's probably going to get elected, and
the most Jewish city outside of Israel. So it's it's done.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
It concerns me. And there are national ramifications on this,
and I know some of the obvious national ramifications the
way the Republican Party is going to use him as
the boogeyman. I know that's going to happen in the
midterm election if he wins, and it looks like he's
going to win. But there's something else going on, and
it's the young voters. Young white voters are the ones
(04:51):
that are fueling his campaign. And they're not only in
New York City, they're across the country. And I think
this is extremely concerning. What is attracting these young Democrats.
That means the party's not going to change.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah, so they're the most woke element of the Democratic Party.
And look, you know, you got to give mom Donnie credit.
Affordability is a real issue, right everyone in New York
feels it. I think what rents went up seventeen percent
last year. It's just it's outrageous. But the reason for
it is that New York City already has a bunch
of socialistic type policies, and what he's doing is saying,
(05:27):
in effect, I'm going to double down on this failure
and it's not going to work. But a lot of
young people it's a very alluring message. You know, you
have a job that's pretty well paying, and the scheme
of things, or at least compared to the kind of
jobs you get around the rest of the country, and
you still, like really have to strain to make ends meets,
and it doesn't strike you as fair. So he tapped
into a powerful theme there. It's just not the answer.
(05:49):
But this part of the Democratic Party, you know, is
hugely influential, and it's why if I were AOC, I'd
be looking seriously at running for president in twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
So you don't think she's going to run for the
Senate seat, well, I.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Think that that's a very easy play. I think Chuck
Humor is highly vulnerable in a Democratic primary in this environment,
but I think she would get traction in a national
Democratic primary. I think she'd be a real threat in
the early States. I kind of doubt she'd win the nomination,
but she could make a real serious run at that's fascinating.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Rich Lowry, editor in chief of National Review, with us
every Tuesday at this time at nine oh five. Talk
to you next week. Rich, Thank you, Hey, thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Tuxing
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