Kansas City mayor claims race drives Trump’s crime crackdown on Black-run cities

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas argued that race was driving President Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime in major U.S. cities like Washington, D.C. because they are run by Black mayors.

On Monday, Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C. and federalized the police department to crack down on crime in the area. During a press conference, he listed several other cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Baltimore and Oakland as other places that are being harmed by crime.

While speaking to CNN’s Kate Bolduan on Wednesday, Lucas pointed out that many of those major cities have Black mayors, such as himself, and believed that both race and politics are primarily behind Trump’s more recent attacks.

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“I won’t say that’s the totality of it, but I absolutely think it is,” Lucas said. “You’re trying to create a counterpoint often in politics. And what is a better counterpoint than Donald Trump in whatever way you see him, and a mayor? Black women mayors have been the subject of lots of attacks.” 

Lucas listed Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as an example of someone Trump likes to “pick fights” with and encouraged others to also fight back even if their cities are experiencing high crime rates.

“And by the way, this is one of the best fights to pick, because what I have to sit in front of you and say is, yes, there are homicides in my city. Yes, there is crime. But we don’t think the same prescription of help is necessary,” Lucas said. “It’s a tough position. But I think, frankly, this is the situation we’re in. And he’s not really interested in trying to save lives for us, but just exploiting the political issue.”

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Lucas remarked that his city is unlikely to be targeted by Trump because of their Republican governor, and “it’s not as interesting from just a broader political point.”

“This is nothing but a wedge issue against American cities and against American mayors who largely don’t have the same megaphone to respond,” Lucas said.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Black woman, has called Trump’s National Guard move “unsettling and unprecedented” and has repeatedly argued that the city is not experiencing a spike in crime.