() Chris Cuomo and Bill O’Reilly disagree on whether race is a factor in the Trump administration’s crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C.
“No Spin News” host O’Reilly appeared on “CUOMO” on Wednesday to talk about the National Guard’s deployment to urban areas in the nation’s capital.
“The reason for the presence of the National Guard, the FBI, and the marshals in D.C. is due to President Trump being personally displeased with the appearance and atmosphere of the city. It’s as straightforward as that and unrelated to race,” O’Reilly stated.
Race insertion is ‘garbage’: Bill O’Reilly
He described the insertion of race into the discussion as “the usual phony garbage.”
Cuomo argued it “of course” has to do with race, given, in his opinion, America will often “confuse criminality with race.”
Cuomo added, “We frequently hear that black people commit more crimes; it’s important to ask why that is, what kinds of crimes occur, what the situations are, and what can change this. That’s the discussion we should be having, but we’re not.”
“Politically, this is advantageous for the president. You also can’t ignore that crime rates in D.C. have decreased in more tangible ways than in most other urban areas over the same period in the last three years,” Cuomo noted.
DC crime ‘personally offends Trump’
Both Cuomo and O’Reilly acknowledged that D.C. is not alone in facing crime issues, but O’Reilly noted similarities in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago.
“Progressive leadership does not endorse punishing minor offenses … If you contribute to social disorder, you’re held accountable. Progressives aren’t in favor of this approach.”
“The Guard and the other people are a blanket of protection. That means that the real bad guys won’t come out anymore,” he added.
O’Reilly believes the presence of the National Guard ultimately has a simple explanation.
“There is disorder in the nation’s capital. It offends Trump. Trump has the power to reverse it. He will reverse it. That’s the story,” he said.
