Trump, Vance promote 'crime-free America' during Midwest campaign stops

Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Former President Donald Trump and running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, promised to support police and oppose crime during respective campaign stops in Howell, Mich., and Kenosha, Wisc., on Tuesday.

"Our police men and women have the backs of law-abiding citizens every day," Trump said during his afternoon rally while flanked by several members of the Livingston County Sheriff's Office.

Vice President Kamala Harris is the "most radical ever to run for President," Trump claimed. "She is so far-left that no one can even imagine" and "flip flops" on issues such as police funding.

"She's always been for defunding the police," Trump added. "[Minnesota Gov. Tim] Walz is equally far-left. No one's ever seen anything like it and the press is giving them a free pass."

If elected again, Trump said he would increase federal support for local police to "stop the Kamala crime wave."

Trump claimed during Tuesday's event that the nation posted a 43% increase in violent crime, including a 58% increase in rape and 89% increase in aggravated assault, during the Biden-Harris administration.

"They tried to pretend everything was great," Trump said. "Crime in America is out of control."

He said he'll give local police "a lot of help" to make the nation's streets safe for everyone.

"We want a crime-free America," Trump said. "We're going to stop violent crime in the United States."

During his speech, Trump said Democrats run most of the nation's top 25 cities, but people are fleeing those cities out of fear of violent crime.

"Over the past four years, the Marxist left has waged a war on law enforcement in America," Trump said as he cited New York as an example.

"New York state is doing terribly," he said. "Law enforcement has been decimated. We're not getting justice in New York."

He called Harris a "ringleader for this anti-police crusade" and accused her of "pro-crime, anti-police efforts."

Trump said he will support police and "crack down on Marxist district attorneys who refuse to do their jobs" and calling Harris the "godmother of sanctuary cities" as he accused her of shielding illegal migrants who were crack dealers from deportation while she was California's attorney general.

Trump said Harris created the $950 threshold for prosecuting shoplifters, abolished cash bail for violent criminals and raised money to bailout arsonists and rioters in Minneapolis.

"You'll see levels of crime that you've never seen before" if Harris becomes President, Trump cautioned and said he would ensure that the Department of Justice works with victims of crime instead of those committing them.

Ahead of Trump's rally Tuesday, Harris' campaign referred to Howell as the "KKK capital of Michigan" despite the city having Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., as its representative and President Joe Biden holding an event there in 2021.

Slotkin won the Democratic Party's nomination to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Debbie Stabenow . Her opponent is former Rep. Mike Rogers .

Howell is located about 55 miles northwest of Detroit.

During his visit to Kenosha earlier Tuesday, Vance said voters have a choice between two approaches for police and public safety.

"Vice President Kamala Harris, who really is the acting president, says she wants to defund the police," Vance said. "This is a person who wants to change the laws around violent criminals so that people who commit sex crimes against minors won't be considered violent offenders."

Vance contrasted Harris with Trump, who Vance said supports police and "backed the blue" when president by making it easier for police to do their jobs.

Trump's pro-policing policies "make it so every child in America has access to a basic right, which is public safety in their neighborhood," Vance said.

"The gross majority of violent crimes in this country now go unsolved," Vance added. "If, God forbid, you are assaulted in your own community, it's more likely today that crime will go unsolved."

He said the current leadership in the White House is the reason violent crimes mostly go unsolved.

Vance said Trump will end sanctuary cities and replace them with pro-law enforcement cities, deport illegal migrants and promote the death penalty for drug dealers.

Trump also will oppose frivolous lawsuits against police officers and stand up to "soft-on-crime prosecutors," Vance said. "All this stuff is just simple common sense."

Vance referenced the 2020 riots in Kenosha and said Trump promised to send in law enforcement if asked, but Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers initially refused the assistance but days later accepted it as the rioting became violent.

Vance said without the additional assistance provided by Trump, Kenosha -- which is about 40 miles south of Milwaukee -- still would be recovering from the unrest.