The question
Should cities accept National Guard help for public safety?
Use troops at specific hotspots
Jason Calacanis
Jason Calacanis argues that city leaders should redirect a proposed deployment toward named high-crime locations instead of rejecting it categorically. The case is pragmatic: use available personnel where residents face visible danger.
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He separately acknowledges a constitutional objection; the position is a tactical proposal, not a general defense of unilateral federal authority.
Yeah, it doesn't match people's reality. People are smart, and I think this is really a stupid strategy by the Democrats. If Trump says, I'm going to send in the National Guard because you guys haven't done the job, the obvious kung fu move to redirect that energy, say, yes, here are the five places, these are hotspots where we need those troops. If you can put these troops on these five corners, on Turk Street, on Sixth Street, that's where we need them. And how long can we get them for before you move them to the next hotspots? That would totally just take away what is an obvious play by the Republican Party to make the Democrats fall for the trap of we're pro crime. We don't care about people's safety, which by the way is just so dumb.Ro Khanna on Crime, Censorship & Congress: Fixing What's Broken in America ↗
Seek to 44:09
Strengthen local policing instead
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Ro Khanna
Ro Khanna rejects deploying the National Guard into the cities at issue while supporting more police, mental-health treatment and temporary housing. He argues that local leaders should confront disorder without treating military deployment as the solution.
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Khanna does not deny the underlying safety problem, and the exchange distinguishes Washington, DC's legal status from that of states and ordinary cities.
These are hard cities to govern. I mean, they're not, they're hard. But I, you know, because I'm always honest, I disagree with you on the National Guard coming there, but I do agree with you.Ro Khanna on Crime, Censorship & Congress: Fixing What's Broken in America ↗
Seek to 45:07
I think Bloomberg had a good record. I think, Matt, look at what Matt Mahan and Dan Lurie are doing closer to home. I mean, they're saying, look, we need more police. We need to understand that if people have mental health issues and that they're not getting off the street again and again and again, that you can go to a court and say they need treatment, that we need to be funding more temporary housing, not just permanent housing. Because yeah, we want permanent housing long-term, but that doesn't mean in the meantime we do nothing. And so I think that they are pragmatic. They've acknowledged it's a problem, and they're working at it. What I don't think works is just denying people's feelings, because partly it's like when I was growing up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, we used to leave our house doors unlocked.Ro Khanna on Crime, Censorship & Congress: Fixing What's Broken in America ↗
Seek to 46:17
Separate constitutional authority from operational results. Compare crime, complaints, arrests, protest escalation and local capacity in places using Guard personnel with matched cities pursuing stronger civilian policing and treatment.