Trump has 'upper hand' on Democrats with crime issue, says Politico columnist

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Donald Trump has the 'upper hand' over Democrats on crime politically, MSNBC guest says

President Donald Trump has the "upper hand" over Democrats on crime politically, Politico's Rachel Bade said during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Wednesday.

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President Donald Trump has the "upper hand" on the Democratic Party when it comes to crime, Politico's Rachel Bade said Wednesday during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

"From a purely political standpoint, Donald Trump, on this issue, believes he has the upper hand, and I think you're seeing that right now," Bade said. "I mean we see a lot of Democrats talking about how, ‘Oh, this is authoritarian,' right? But look, voters don’t like overtly partisan power grabs, sure. But there’s one thing they don’t like even more, and that is feeling unsafe in their own neighborhoods."

Bade wrote in a column for Politico on Tuesday that the Democratic Party needed a better response to Trump's crime crackdown.

CHRIS MATTHEWS SAYS DEMOCRATS 'FALLING INTO A TRAP OF DEFENDING WHAT’S INDEFENSIBLE' ON CRIME

Politico's Rachel Bade joined MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, to discuss a column she wrote about President Donald Trump and his push to combat crime.  (MSNBC/MorningJoe)

"It’s not about winning this fight—it’s about the fight itself. He wants to be the one to tell voters, ‘I’m tough on crime, what are you going to do?' And what Democrats are doing right now is saying, ‘Oh, you don’t have the authority, and crime is down.’ That doesn’t resonate with people. You have to have specific solutions about how you're going to protect their communities," Bade said on MSNBC. 

Bade argued in her column that Trump's plan was to focus on crime ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

"The White House’s public safety play is a deliberate ploy to refocus the narrative on an issue that favors Republicans ahead of the midterms — one that’s already backing Democrats into a corner," she wrote.

She said Trump was playing to a national audience.

CHICAGO PASTOR BLASTS DEMOCRATS FOR ‘OUTRIGHT LYING’ ABOUT CRIME, URGES TRUMP TO SEND NATIONAL GUARD

President Donald Trump speaks as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"If his recent escalation was an attempt to goad Democrats into declaring that crime isn’t a problem, repelling swing voters in the process, top Democrats did not disappoint him," Bade added.

While speaking to reporters during a Cabinet meeting, Trump accused Democrats of supporting crime. 

The president has led an effort to crack down on crime in Washington, D.C., and has hinted he would be looking at Chicago next. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill., accused Trump of "attempting to manufacture a crisis" in Chicago as he suggested sending the National Guard. 

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