President Donald Trump announced he was going to "go out" in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night, marking one of the few times he has left the White House for an evening on the town outside his own properties. Details of Trump's ride-along haven't been disclosed, so it's unclear whether he'll go to high-crime neighborhoods or posh ones like Georgetown. One resident, and CNN legal analyst, couldn't help but ridicule the president.
"If the president truly cared about public safety in the District of Columbia, he could get out of the way of law enforcement and let them do their jobs," said former federal prosecutor Elliot Williams.
"You know, I cannot underscore what an undertaking, number one, it is to have the president of the United States go anywhere. But number two, to have any senior leadership in government on a ride-along," Williams added. "Like I know this from my days at ICE, where, you know. Yes, it's cool. Yes, the guys like showing their work off to the higher-ups, but everything has to be coordinated and choreographed to make it happen, and it slows down their work and makes them less efficient as law enforcement officers."
He noted that publicity stunts like this aren't "about right or left or Donald Trump. It's literally about getting in the way of cops. And I think it's just a distraction for everybody."
Trump's budget made about $1.1 billion in budget cuts to the city of Washington, D.C. The District is currently short about 500 police officers on its streets.
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