As was noted in the comments of James Joyner’s post about the terror attack in NOLA, the president-elect’s first move was to go straight to xenophobia and the stoking of anti-immigrant fear instead of acting like the once-and-future leader of the country. This is worth underscoring. It speaks poorly of Trump and his defenders.
Via Truth Social:
As has been noted, the person who drove the truck into a crowd was a US-born Army veteran.
But, Trump is never one to take a measured, leaderly approach to difficult news.
Instead, he prefers stoking flames of xenophobia and trying as hard as possible to foment anger towards a scary Immigrant Other.
Side-bonus is that the crime rate is down, not up. As Police1 reports: Violent crime drops in 2024, with 16% fewer homicides nationwide.
Analysts predict a nearly 16% nationwide decline in homicides, alongside a 3.3% drop in overall violent crime, making this year’s decrease the most significant since the FBI began keeping comprehensive crime statistics, ABC News reported.
The trend builds on substantial declines in previous years: a 13% reduction in homicides in 2023, following a 6% decrease in 2022. These decreases come in the wake of a 30% spike in murders between 2019 and 2020, the largest single-year increase in more than a century, according to the report.
It is down in NOLA as well, as per WWLTV: Crime down 26% in New Orleans as officials highlight safety progress.
But why let the truth get in the way of little fearmongering in the midst of tragedy?
I guess fearful citizens are more pliant.
See, also, Rolling Stone: Trump And Maga Are Desperately Trying To Pin New Orleans Attack On The Border.
