Oh, a ploy, huh? Are the 3.3% growth rate and 2% inflation rate also ploys?

Or just good policies that increase the sum of human weal and prosperity?

It's definitely a "ploy," Politico's Senior AWFL Rachel Bade says.

Oh, and Democrats are falling into the "trap" of opposing Trump's ploy.

To many Washington insiders, President Trump's early August Beltway crime crackdown seemed like an opportunistic and hamhanded pivot after getting walloped for weeks over the Jeffrey Epstein affair.

But if it wasn't clear then, it is now: The White House's public safety play is a deliberate ploy to refocus the narrative on an issue that favors Republicans ahead of the midterms -- one that's already backing Democrats into a corner.

The president in recent days is leaning even further into using the National Guard as a glorified police force, visiting the troops and allowing them to be armed. He's suggested he's eyeing Chicago and New York next for their next deployment. On Sunday, he needled Maryland Gov. Wes Moore for Baltimore's notorious crime statistics, hinting he could send troops there as well.

It's a sign that despite polling showing how unpopular Trump's moves are in Washington, the president is playing to a national audience -- and betting this is a battle he and the GOP can win. If his recent escalation was an attempt to goad Democrats into declaring that crime isn't a problem, repelling swing voters in the process, top Democrats did not disappoint him.

Over the weekend, Democratic Govs. JB Pritzker of Illinois and Kathy Hochul of New York released statements arguing that crime in their cities was down or that there's no "emergency" requiring the National Guard. Other Democrats have glossed over voters' concerns about public safety, deriding Trump as an "authoritarian."

The problem is that while some voters might not like overtly political power grabs, history shows they dislike feeling unsafe even more. Expanding homeless encampments and drug overdoses in plain view have left many of them fearful.

Dan Turrentine, a Democratic strategist and host of the 2Way podcast "The Morning Meeting," called crime "an 80-20 issue."

"Just like with immigration, Trump has found another issue where the Democratic Party is on a back foot. They don't want to admit that there's a problem -- even though nobody in New York City, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles or San Francisco would say things are good," he said. "The fact that we have people arguing that crime is not a problem is crazy."

...

A White House official said Trump is giddy about the prospect of "forcing the Democrats to defend the indefensible." Nobody wants to walk outside and have to worry about getting mugged or carjacked, the person argued. Democrats will have to "either side with Donald Trump, or side with crime and murder."

"To the president, this is basic, common-sense shit," the official said.

That Virtue Signaler has been complaining about her carjacking for six whole years. It only took Trump reducing crime to turn her Pro-Carjacking.

Apparently she deleted her account when this was discovered.

It's a "ploy" to reduce crime, which 81% of adults say is a "major problem."

On the other hand, we should definitely take Global Warming seriously, along with the Threat to Our Precious Democracy that happens every time we lose an election.

Joe Scarborough attempted to get Black Power Nazi Brandon Johnson to say that, along with all the "root causes" boondoggles he craves, funding for 5,000 additional cops on the streets would reduce crime.

He refused to say that, and kept insisting that police weren't the answer to crime. (Only reparations are, disguised as "social safety net" spending.)

'That's not the question I asked!' an exasperated Scarborough responded, before asking again whether '5,000 more cops' would make Chicago safer.

Johnson replied: 'I don't believe that we should narrow it down to just police officers... What I'm saying, that is an antiquated approach.'

Scarborough then told the mayor he agreed that social programs were also important in combatting crime, but continued to press him.

'Are you hearing what I'm saying?' Scarborough asked, before repeating the question.

But Johnson went back to his default response, telling Scarborough: 'I don't believe that just simply putting out an arbitrary number around police officers is the answer.

'What I'm saying is policing and affordable housing. It's policing and mental and behavioral health care services. It's policing and youth employment. It's a full package.'

Meanwhile: Accept the Rapes of Babies, Bigots, to prove that you're tolerant of Vibrant and Diverse Cultures.