Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) on Tuesday commented on President Trump’s recent federal action in U.S. cities, saying the president “is waging war against our cities” and asking why “don’t tread on me” people aren’t outraged.
“He’s waging war against our cities. He even talks and uses the language of war. And look, our cities know that we want to make sure that crime is down. It is, but we can always do better. They should be partners with us. Just this week, they cut our counterterrorism funding, money that we could use to protect schools,” Walz told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki on “The Briefing.”
“We could use it to help fund our police, making sure we could hire more. But I’ll tell you what doesn’t make people feel safe: a tank next to Chipotle. It’s stupid, and it’s for the cameras, and it’s, you know, you can get into the legal aspect of Posse Comitatus, but it’s foundational. So I keep saying, Jen, where are the ‘don’t tread on me’ people?’” he added.
The phrase “Don’t Tread on Me” is featured on the Gadsden flag, which has been embraced by libertarians, the Tea Party, gun rights groups and some far-right organizations.
In the last few months, Trump deployed National Guard troops in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., resulting in intense blowback from Democrats.
On Monday, Trump created the Memphis Safe Task Force after announcing plans to send federal forces into the Tennessee city, which has one of the country’s highest violent crime rates.
“This task force will be a replica of our extraordinary successful efforts here and you’ll see it’s a lot of the same thing,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for a response to Walz’s criticism.
