Following the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., by President Donald Trump as part of his crime crackdown, CNN anchor Audie Cornish made a controversial comparison to North Korea during a segment on ‘CNN This Morning.’ Cornish, who was discussing the administration’s use of federal forces in the nation’s capital, remarked that while D.C. has seen a 12-day streak without a homicide, the murder rate in North Korea is also low. She added, ‘There’s probably no murders in North Korea, too. But I don’t want to be presumptuous.’
Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in D.C. started earlier this month, and the streak of zero murders ended Tuesday when a man died from a gunshot wound. Cornish opened the segment by noting the latest move in Trump’s crackdown, including the president’s executive order creating specialized units of Guard troops charged with quelling civil disturbances. She added that Trump’s threat to send troops to other major cities like Chicago has drawn accusations of authoritarian behavior from Democratic leaders across the country.
Trump seized federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on August 11, using emergency powers under the Home Rule Act that allow the president to federalize the MPD for up to 30 days. Additionally, more than 2,000 National Guard troops were deployed in the city, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the majority of those troops to carry firearms. Cornish played a video of Trump in the Oval Office responding to those who accused him of being a dictator, with Trump stating, ‘I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with great common sense, and I’m a smart person.’ Trump added that he was frustrated by the criticism, saying, ‘These people are sick.’
Cornish then played a clip of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, slamming Trump for proposing a federal crime crackdown in Chicago, calling him a ‘wannabe dictator’ looking to use troops to ‘intimidate his political rivals.’ Cornish highlighted the irony in Trump’s defense, suggesting that the people who support his actions have a warped view of what’s happening in urban areas. She remarked that ‘the people who perceive cities as fundamentally crime-ridden at all times in all decades think this is a good thing.’
The conversation sparked debate over the use of federal troops in domestic affairs, with critics arguing that Trump’s actions represent an overreach of executive power. Meanwhile, supporters of the president defended the deployment as a necessary measure to restore order and public safety in a city that has been struggling with crime. The situation has drawn significant attention from media outlets and political figures, with the broader implications of Trump’s strategy remaining a topic of discussion among experts and the public.