In 2024, Donald Trump flipped tens of thousands of city dwellers from The Bronx to Philadelphia who were frustrated by lenient crime policies in blue cities and states. It’s understandable that the president wants to reward this emerging GOP constituency by showing instant progress. On Monday, the White House issued an executive order to punish jurisdictions that release criminal suspects without requiring them to post cash bail, and a separate order to prepare the National Guard for “rapid nationwide deployment,” including to cities beyond Washington, DC.
But just because urban crime is a real problem doesn’t mean that Trump can fix it by decree. Trump is exceeding his constitutional authority in attempting to circumvent the frustratingly iterative process of federalist democracy, which rarely offers political or practical shortcuts.
