Vice President JD Vance and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson are at odds over the Trump administration's suggestion to deploy National Guard troops to address violent crime in American cities.
Speaking Thursday in La Crosse, Vance singled out Milwaukee as a city that could benefit from federal assistance.
"What the president has said is very simply is why don't you invite us in? Is Milwaukee a super safe city right now? It's had some crime problems," Vance said.
Johnson pushed back against the idea, arguing that military deployment in American cities should be reserved for extreme circumstances.
Watch: Milwaukee residents share perspectives after mayor, VP clash over National Guard deployment
"The United States military has a very critical role, a very critical responsibility. It's not to be deployed in American cities when there's no rebellion," Johnson said.
Mixed reactions from Milwaukee residents
Milwaukee residents have varying perspectives on whether federal assistance is needed to tackle crime in their city.
Jasmine Martin, who has experienced the impact of crime on her family through both traffic incidents and a shooting, supports federal intervention for serious crimes.
"I do support the federal [government] to come in and help with like murders, yes," Martin said. "I would only welcome it, raising a young little boy to get some people here to show them how serious it is."
Maxwell Bennett, a 70-year Milwaukee resident who witnessed the National Guard's deployment during housing discrimination riots in the 1960s, opposes bringing troops back to address crime.
"When the national guards come into town, it escalates," Bennett said. "I don't see reason for it at all right now."
Bennett said his military family background doesn't change his opposition to the deployment.
"My grandson is in the national guard, I'm proud of anything military, but I just don't think it's necessary right now," Bennett said.
Federal assistance debate continues
Vance emphasized the administration's belief in its authority to address crime in American cities.
"We do think that we have the legal right to clean up America's streets if we want to," Vance said.
Johnson suggested the vice president review Milwaukee's crime statistics and consider alternative forms of federal support.
"I think it would be useful for the VP to take a peek at Milwaukee's record on crime since I've been mayor," Johnson said. "I'd suggest that the vice president and the president look at bolstering those programs as opposed to using folks in our military as political pawns."
Vance said the federal government would only send assistance to cities that request it. However, National Guard troops were recently deployed to Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles without support from local or state leadership.
Milwaukee crime statistics
Milwaukee has seen mixed results in crime reduction over the past year. Several categories have decreased significantly, including robbery down 24%, carjackings down 45%, and aggravated assault down 21%.
However, homicides have increased 9%, and both rape and human trafficking cases have also risen.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
