Remarks by President Trump at the 2018 Project Safe Neighborhoods National Conference | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center  •  Kansas City, Missouri  •  December 7, 2018  •  12:17 P.M. CST

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank you. I appreciate it very much.

    I want to also thank Matt for the introduction. He's doing an excellent job - really, a leader. Strong leader.

    I was also thrilled to announce earlier today that I am nominating, as Matt said, William Barr to take the helm as our new Attorney General. He's an outstanding man.

    Bill previously led the Justice Department with distinction as Attorney General under George H.W. Bush, following his unanimous confirmation by the United States Senate. During his tenure, he demonstrated an unwavering adherence to the rule of law, which the people in this room like to hear. There is no one more capable or more qualified for this role. He deserves overwhelming bipartisan support. I suspect he'll probably get it.

    I'm honored to be in Kansas City with the incredible men and women of law enforcement - I've been here a lot over the last couple of months - the U.S. attorneys, state and local prosecutors, police officers, sheriffs, deputies, and federal agents who keep our country safe. You keep America safe.

    And you maybe don't hear it enough, or sometimes don't feel it enough: You do an incredible job. The people in this country know it and they love you. Just remember that. (Applause.) So true.

    On behalf of a grateful nation, I just want to say that we thank you, we salute you, and we stand with you 100 percent. All of us. Me and all of us.

    We're here today to restore one of the most effective crime prevention strategies in America: Project Safe Neighborhoods. This initiative brings law enforcement, community groups, and local leaders together to get the most violent criminals in the most dangerous areas off the streets and behind bars. After many years of neglect, we are bringing back this lifesaving program stronger than ever before.

    Today is the first nationwide meeting of Project Safe Neighborhoods in eight years. And here with us is the man who started this visionary project all the way back in 2001, former Attorney General John Ashcroft. (Applause.) Where is John? Where is John?

    I've been here a lot lately, John. Huh?

    MR. ASHCROFT: Thank you.

    THE PRESIDENT: I've been here a lot. That's good. Thank you. Thank you for a great job.

    I also want to thank two members of my administration who are doing tremendous work: the head of ATF Thomas Brandon and the Acting DEA Administrator Uttam Dhillon. (Applause.) Please. Thank you, fellas.

    We are also joined by a great representative of the state, Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler - helps me a lot. Thank you, Vicky. Thank you, Vicky. (Applause.)

    And we are especially excited to have with us the man who is your state's current attorney general and newly-elected United States senator - that's why I've been here so much lately - Josh Hawley. Josh. Thank you, Josh. (Applause.)

    And I will tell you, Josh really stepped up to the plate. You know, in life, you never know. You pick somebody - looks good, sounds good, think he's smart - and then they choke. (Laughter.) They choke like dogs. (Laughter.) And you say, "What did I do? I picked the wrong person."

    Well, we saw a lot about Josh and we thought he'd be great. And I'll tell you, he had a tough race against a very tough competitor. You know that. And he was absolutely fantastic. So I just want to congratulate you.

    And, you know, I keep listening to the fake news that, "They won the House - House, House, House." Nobody ever talks about the Senate. We won the Senate easily. In fact, we picked up two. And that hasn't been done in a long time. For a person is President, you just - for whatever reason that doesn't happen very often.

    And we have the Senate, now, 53 to 47. And we're very proud of that. But you never hear that. You only hear, "The House, House, House..." And the nice part about having the Senate is, when you have the Senate, your judges - you know, we've appointed many, many judges. We're just about at a record clip - ever.


    And by the time I finish, we should have the all-time record, except, of course - from the percentage basis, you know who the best of all was, right? George Washington. 100 percent. (Laughter.) He picked 100 percent of the judges. That's the only one that I won't be beating. (Laughter.) I can never beat George. He's tough. (Laughter.) 100 percent. I asked that question. I say, "Who had the greatest percentage of judge picks?" And so far, I haven't had too many people guess it. But as soon as soon as I say it, they say, "I can't believe I didn't think of that."

    Finally we are grateful to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, Timothy Garrison. Where is Timothy? (Applause.) Timothy. Thank you, Timothy. Great job, Tim. Along with a very well-known person, Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith, for hosting today's event. Thank you very much, fellas. Thank you, Rick. Thank you. (Applause.)

    Everyone here today is committed to the same vital goal: liberating our communities from crime and securing the right of all citizens to live in safety and to live in peace.

    In the two years before I took office, the violent crime rate increased by 7 percent and murders were up by over 20 percent. But we're turning it around very quickly, much quicker than anyone thought possible.

    At the core of our strategy is restoring respect for law enforcement. And there is nobody that deserves respect more than you people, that I can tell you. For too long, many politicians and radical activists have been smearing and slandering our police, making life easier for criminals and harder for law-abiding Americans. We will not tolerate attacks on the heroes who protect our streets and defend our communities. We will not allow it to happen. (Applause.)

    My administration has also made officer safety a top priority. We will protect those who protect us. And we will believe the right punishment - and we all do - for cop-killers is called the death penalty. (Applause.)

    And you know, in some circles, that's very controversial to say that. You have all of the television cameras rolling back there. For me, it's not even a little bit controversial. You kill a cop and it's called the death penalty, okay?

    At the same time, we are ensuring you have the resources you need to do your jobs properly. We have added nearly 200 new violent crime prosecutors across the country.

    We have made more than 600 million dollars' worth of surplus military equipment available to law enforcement that, as you know, the previous administration would not allow you to have. It was sitting in storage houses and warehouses all over the country getting old and gaining dust - beautiful stuff. And they didn't like it because it made you look too strong. And I liked it because it made you safe. And now it's been distributed all over the country to the police and you're using it very well and very judiciously and we appreciate it.

    We increased funding for Project Safe Neighborhoods to $50 million dollars this year and we're asking Congress to add an additional increase for next year. That will happen.

    We secured $6 billion in new funding to combat opioids - the most in history. And speaking of that, Kellyanne Conway is here. A very special person. Where is Kellyanne? Is she around here someplace? Stand up, Kellyanne. (Applause.) She's worked so hard with Melania, the First Lady, and they're working very hard. And thank you, Kellyanne. Great job.

    We've increased the average sentence for drug trafficking to its highest level since 2013.

    I signed landmark anti-drug legislation that included the STOP Act to help prevent fentanyl from entering our country through the mail service.


    And at my recent meeting that you all read about three days ago with President Xi of China - this took place in Argentina at the G20 - President Xi agreed to criminalize and make all fentanyl in China controlled, meaning it's a controlled substance. Such a big event. (Applause.)

    And it was really considered an industrial agent; it was not criminal at all. He's agreed to make it a controlled substance and the highest criminality. And that would bring into play, again, the words "death penalty." Death penalty. From no penalty to death penalty. And that's the way our meeting went.

    And I appreciate President Xi doing that very much because we lose about 80,000 people a year to fentanyl. So now they can send it but, if they get caught, they're going to get the death penalty. I have a feeling you're going to see it go down very rapidly. Very, very rapidly. It's a terrible thing

    This year, thanks to the efforts of everyone in this room, I am proud to report a new all-time record for the prosecution of violent crime. You also prosecuted 15,300 defendants for federal gun crimes, almost 20 percent more than the previous record.

    In partnership with the federal government, local law enforcement is also making tremendous, historic strides. Here today is Wilmington Police Chief Bob Tracy. Where's Bob? Hi, Bob. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you, Bob.

    When a vicious gang member shot and killed two people in Wilmington last February, investigators used the ATF's ballistic database to match the shell casings to another shooting and bring the killer to justice. Amazing job. Thank you. Thank you, Bob.

    Over the past year, shootings in Wilmington are down nearly 60 percent and firearm murders are down over 35 percent. Thank you, Chief Tracy, for your unbelievable work. We're reading about it, we're seeing it, and it really is exceptional. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.)

    An important milestone in our campaign to make America safe again is the reduction in the murder rate. Murders in America's largest cities are projected to drop by more than 8 percent compared to 2016 - a remarkable turnaround in just two short years. And you are the ones who have really made it possible. We've given you certain advantages that you didn't have before this administration, but you have made it possible.

    With us today is U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez. Maria? Where is Maria? Thank you, Maria. (Applause.) Great. Maria assembled a team from the IRS, the FBI, and Tampa Police to take down a violent street gang in Tampa, Florida. Thanks to this collaborative effort, 11 gang members are now facing hard time in prison. Maria, great job. We've all been reading about it. Very, very exceptional. Thank you. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

    James Clark with the Better Family Life initiative is here as well. James? Thank you very much, James. (Applause.) James works with schools, churches, family members, and friends to deescalate conflicts and stop violence before it happens. A very dangerous thing he does, but he's not afraid. You're not afraid, are you, James? It's just a day in the office, right? Stand up again, James. That's pretty - that's not easy. (Applause.) That's not easy.


    And James and his team have successfully ended more than 50 ongoing, escalating gun battles between rival gangs right here in the St. Louis. James, great job. It's really incredible, what you do, and everybody in this room appreciates it. Thank you very much. And all over the country, they appreciate it, James.

    As part of our comprehensive crime reduction strategy, we are reforming the prison system to help more former inmates get on the right track. We all benefit when those who have served their time can find a job, support their families, and stay the hell out of jail. Right? That's what we want. Stay out of jail. That's why I have called on Congress to pass the First Step Act, so that more inmates gain the skills they need to become productive, law-abiding citizens.

    And we've helped them a lot by creating one of the greatest economies - maybe the best economy this country has ever had. Our jobless rate is now down to 3.7 percent. And, by the way, in Missouri, I was just told by Josh, it's at 3.2 percent, which is the lowest in the history of the state.

    So now, when people get out of prison, rather than not being able to find a job, some employers, frankly, are forced to hire people that maybe they wouldn't normally do. And the reports coming back are incredible. I have one particular person that says it's hired seven people, and he just is thrilled. He can't even believe it. We're giving them a chance. And the economy is maybe - it's a beneficiary, but it's also one of the reasons that it's working so well.