Trump and Vance promise to reduce crime and “refund the police”

Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), took their “Make America Safe Again” message to police departments in two swing states on August 20, promising to improve conditions for police officers.

The appearances of the Republican candidates are part of their campaign strategy, while the Democrats gather for their own nominating convention in Chicago.

In his speech to the Livingston County Sheriff's Office in Howell, Michigan, Trump said: “When I'm president of the United States again, we won't even think about or mention the words 'defund the police.'”

Instead, he said, authorities should “refund” the police and also provide officers with better protection from lawsuits and prosecutions they may wrongfully face “for doing their jobs,” Trump said.

“Under my leadership, no community will be at the mercy of violent criminals; no citizen will be abandoned to migrant criminality.”

Since President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took office in 2021, record numbers of illegal immigrants have entered the United States. Some of them have been arrested and charged with high-profile violent crimes in recent months.

Biden blames Congress for its inaction on bipartisan border legislation, while Trump counters that during his presidency he issued executive orders closing the border and other measures to curb illegal immigration.

Vance in Wisconsin

The previous Tuesday, Vance had given a speech in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

“We don't just have a vision for Trump's campaign. We don't just have a bunch of promises for Trump's campaign. We have four years of successful leadership by Donald Trump that has ensured public safety on our streets, and that is something to celebrate and something to look forward to,” Vance said.

There were also numerous police officers in his audience.

Vance said that if he and Trump were elected, they would abolish “sanctuary cities” that shield illegal immigrants from federal immigration authorities, deport violent illegal aliens and protect police from “frivolous lawsuits.”

“The reason why it is sometimes so difficult for police to do their jobs is because they know that if they do their jobs, they will be sued for it,” Vance said.

Crime data questioned

While the Democratic National Committee's political platform speaks of a 50-year low in violent crime, Trump and his campaign team say that more reliable data suggest that this is not the case.

After Harris and Biden took office, “the FBI abandoned the crime reporting system it had used for over 100 years in favor of a 'modernized' system that many of the nation's largest police departments … do not use,” the Trump campaign said in an emailed statement. “There is not less crime, just fewer crimes being reported.”

Trump said crime data was skewed because police were arresting fewer people, lacking support, being understaffed and trying to avoid legal risks.

The National Crime Prevention Research Center says the FBI statistics are inaccurate because “victims do not report most crimes.” The National Crime Victimization Survey provides more accurate findings, the center said, adding that the report shows that reported and unreported violent crimes increased 42 percent between 2020 and 2022, the most recent year available.

Trump and Vance together

Trump and Vance will appear together in Asheboro, North Carolina, on August 21 to unveil their plans to “make America strong again.”

On August 22, Trump will travel to the U.S.-Mexico border in Montezuma Pass, Arizona, while Vance will travel to Valdosta, Georgia, to talk about improving immigration policies to “make America safe again.”

On August 23, Trump will hold a rally in Glendale, Arizona, and lead a “no tax on tips” rally in Las Vegas, part of his week-long “barnstorming” tour of states that could play a decisive role in the November 5 presidential election, which pits Trump and Vance against Democratic nominee Harris-Waltz.

From The Epoch Times