Vice President JD Vance visited Howell, Mich., on Wednesday, Sept. 17, making a stop at a local manufacturing facility to address a crowd of supporters. His remarks, however, quickly turned to a familiar and controversial topic: crime in Detroit.
The Vice President, speaking before several hundred in the heart of Livingston County, delivered a pointed message aimed squarely at Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state’s handling of violence in Michigan’s largest city.
“My one message to Governor Whitmer is this: the city of Detroit, we know, has got some serious crime problems, and we know that it’s the people of Detroit who suffer the most when crime is allowed to run rampant all over city streets,” Vance said. “Gretchen, we are happy to send the National Guard to Detroit, Michigan. All you gotta do is ask.”
The crowd in Howell, a city with a complex history – one that includes being the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan in Michigan – responded with resounding cheers and applause. The venue itself served as a reflection of Michigan’s political and historical landscape: a space where tensions around law enforcement, race, and crime intersect. Howell, in particular, has become an emblematic site for those who advocate for a tough-on-crime approach, with its population closely mirroring broader Republican sentiments in the state.
Vance’s comments were not a rallying cry for upcoming elections such as those in 2024. Instead, they were part of the broader conversation surrounding crime, policing, and the National Guard under the current administration of President Donald Trump. Trump, now in his second stint as president, has leaned heavily on a law-and-order platform, advocating for more military intervention to combat crime, specifically in large cities with large Black populations. His rhetoric regarding Detroit echoes his approach to crime in other cities, which has sparked a vigorous debate over the role of the National Guard in managing civil unrest and violence.
The mention of the National Guard comes as Trump, in August 2025, ordered the deployment of federal troops to Washington, D.C. This decision, the White House says, was sparked by a dramatic uptick in violent protests and organized crime in the capital, marking the first such deployment since Trump’s controversial use of federal forces in the summer of 2020. While many had expected the D.C. deployment to remain an isolated incident, it quickly became clear that the administration was prepared to use the Guard in other cities – predominantly Black ones, most notably.
Critics have argued that the military’s presence in urban areas could lead to over-policing and disproportionately affect communities of color. Trump, however, defended the move, arguing that the increased presence of the Guard was necessary to restore peace and combat violent crime in the city.
Trump has threatened to send the National Guard to Chicago, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Memphis, as part of a broader effort to quell protests and unrest related to racial justice issues. When he threatened to send the troops to Chicago and other cities in 2020, many mayors of these cities strongly opposed federal intervention, including then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who pushed back against the idea of using the National Guard to police her city. She, along with other leaders, argued that it was unnecessary and counterproductive, emphasizing the need for local, community-based solutions to crime and unrest.
This year, Chicago’s current mayor Brandon Johnson has echoed those concerns in response to Vance’s comments and Trump’s overall approach to crime. Johnson, a progressive Democrat, has spent much of his time in office advocating for policies aimed at addressing the root causes of crime, such as economic inequality, job creation, and investment in community-based programs. Johnson’s administration has already taken steps to address public safety issues with a focus on restorative justice, alternatives to incarceration, and de-escalation training for police officers. In response to Trump’s threats, Johnson condemned the idea of sending the National Guard to Chicago, saying that such a move would be a “step backward” for the city.
“Chicago residents deserve more than just a military presence on our streets,” Johnson said in a statement. “What we need is investment in our communities—policing strategies that are rooted in public health and justice, not in tactics that alienate our residents and deepen divisions.”
Johnson’s stance, which prioritizes public safety solutions grounded in equity and community trust, stands in stark contrast to Vance’s suggestion. The use of the National Guard in cities like Chicago or Detroit remains a divisive issue, as conservatives, including Vance, continue to push for more federal intervention in response to rising crime rates, while progressives like Johnson advocate for comprehensive reforms that aim to address the underlying factors contributing to crime.
In Detroit, where violent crime rates remain high, Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan have faced increasing pressure to address the situation. However, the governor has been cautious about the idea of deploying the National Guard, instead opting to focus on long-term solutions, including police reform, community violence intervention funding, and job creation programs aimed at reducing poverty in some of the city’s most underserved neighborhoods.
Whitmer’s didn’t immediately respond directly to Vance’s comments.
For Vance and other conservatives, the rise in violent crime in major urban centers presents a compelling case for a stronger, federalized law enforcement presence. But these remarks are part of a broader national debate about how to balance public safety with civil liberties, and how to ensure that interventions, whether by local police or the National Guard, do not disproportionately harm marginalized communities.
As the debate continues in Washington and across the country, the role of the National Guard in addressing domestic issues remains a flashpoint in American politics. Trump’s policies in 2025 and the remarks by Vance in Howell serve as a stark reminder of the growing ideological divide in how the country addresses crime, policing, and public safety. While some see military intervention as a necessary tool to restore order, others, like Chicago’s Brandon Johnson and Detroit’s leaders, argue that these approaches will only exacerbate existing problems.
Whether federal intervention will become a standard response to crime in largely Black cities remains to be seen, but the White House’s continued push toward over-policing Black cities has become increasingly more pronounced.
