Detroiters speak on VP Vance's remarks on sending National Guard to city
Vice President JD Vance delivered remarks on Wednesday at Hatch Stamping, a precision metal stamping facility in Howell, Michigan.
Vance spoke on President Trump's tax cuts for working families and businesses, but he also touched on some other topics, including an offer to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer about bringing the National Guard to Detroit.
"My one message to Gretchen Whitmer is look, the city of Detroit we know has got some serious crime problems and we know it's the people in Detroit who suffer the most when crime is allowed to run rampant all over the city streets," the vice president said. "We are happy to send the National Guard to Detroit, Michigan. All you've got to do is ask."
The remarks come days after the Trump administration signed a presidential memorandum mobilizing agencies, including the National Guard, to Memphis, which followed Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Vance's message immediately garnered reaction from Detroiters, with some telling CBS News Detroit that they do not want the military in the Motor City.
"He don't need to do that, it ain't that serious. This is just normal everyday crime. It happens everywhere in every state. It's just going to cause a scare, you know, people walk through here every day, it'll cause a scare," said James, a Detroit resident.
"I think it's unnecessary, you know, I think he's overstepping his boundaries," said Santino Burrola from Detroit.
Republicans throughout Michigan voiced their support for Vance's comments, including U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers, who released a statement, saying, "Now that President Trump is cracking down on crime in Memphis, Detroit will soon take its place as the most violent city in the country. Last year alone, there were 203 murders, meaning someone was killed every other day. We don't have to live like this. But Democrats would rather let families live in fear than ask the President for help."
Meanwhile, many Democrats voiced their opposition to the National Guard coming to Detroit. U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin and fellow Democrat members of the Senate Armed Services Committee sent a message to Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, saying, "The American people deserve clarity on the short- and long-term implications for national security and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars of this new focus on a mission usually reserved for law enforcement professionals."
CBS News Detroit reached out to Whitmer for comment and is waiting to hear back.