On Thursday morning, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer attempted to get Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson (R) to denounce both the Trump administration’s stance on left-wing rhetoric and the Democratic Party. Blitzer pestered Johnson three times on the matter, while the Mayor did his best to stay out of the devious snare.
The Situation Room host first tried to get Johnson to bash President Trump (while also denying the existence of a clear motive):
BLITZER: Kash Patel, the FBI Director, released a picture of a bullet recovered from the scene inscribed with the words "ANTI-ICE." But investigators are still probing what the motive was for this attack. So why do you think President Trump already is blaming what he calls, “Radical Left Democrats?” Do you think he should stop doing that?
JOHNSON: I can't speak for the President […] But increasing numbers of young people today in this country – and I think it's being stoked in a lot of ways by some of this rhetoric around law enforcement and ICE being the enemy, ICE being the Gestapo, ICE being a criminal organization of some sort. That's creating a real problem. And I think we have to really face this head on. And I think the President is sensitive to that.
The Mayor was wise to not fall into Blitzer’s initial trap. Blitzer clearly wanted to take a cheap-shot at Trump by stirring up conflict between the local government and the federal government. A lack of synergy over such a hot-button topic would only make both parties look bad.
Blitzer then played a clip of Stephen Miller’s appearance on Hannity a month prior:
BLITZER: He says the Democratic Party is a domestic extremist organization, not a political party. You were elected to your first term as a Democrat, but now you're a Republican. Is the Deputy White House Chief of Staff wrong to call your former party a domestic extremist organization?
JOHNSON: Here's how I would describe the situation with the two parties. I think there's one party, the Republican Party, that has consistently – and, in fact, I can't think of a time when the Republican Party has not stood for law and order and has not supported law enforcement. And I think the Democrat Party, which I was a member of for a very long time and switched a couple of years ago basically over this issue.
Johnson dodged the question and did not wish to play partisan games. Instead, he calmly and rationally highlighted the main disagreement he had with his former party.
Blitzer wasn't satisfied with the answer, he seemed so offended that anyone would call the Democrats "extremists."
BLITZER: Let me just press you. Is the Democratic Party a domestic extremist organization as the Deputy White House Chief of Staff says?
JOHNSON: I don't know if there's a defined – if those words have a definition, whatever he said. I will tell you this. It's a political party that does not support, to the extent that it should, law and order – and particularly our immigration laws – and has not been very supportive of the police. And I lived through it during the defund the police movement, and I left the party over it.
Johnson should have called out Blitzer for trying to associate him with Miller. Weakness only serves the aggressor. Wolf hasn't seemed this offended since a Republican called CNN's Manu Raju a "liberal hack." That, he said, was "disgusting."
After a third shove, Johnson relented and half-answered Blitzer’s question:
BLITZER: But I still am not hearing you answer the question. Is the Democratic Party an extremist organization as Stephen Miller, the Deputy White House Chief of Staff, insists?
JOHNSON: I think their views on law enforcement, to the extent that they are defining ICE as a criminal organization or the problem, is an extreme view. I think that's an extreme view, yes. If that answers your question, Wolf […] So, again, those aren't my words, so I don't want to adopt that exact language as my own, but I think extreme is an appropriate description of that position.
Johnson obeyed TV’s three-question rule the safest way possible. He didn’t demonize the Democratic Party as an “extremist organization,” but he did stick to his belief that the left has vilified law enforcement. The Mayor should have said this outright. But, at the very least, didn’t fall for Blitzer’s dishonest game.
This interview was a set-up. Blitzer was not really interested in getting Johnson’s perspective on the shooting, but rather wanted to create a moment he could later refer back to either as evidence of inter-Republican strife or Republicans hating on Democrats.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" read:
CNN’s The Situation Room
September 25, 2025
11:15:58 a.m. Eastern
(…)
WOLF BLITZER: Joining us now is Eric Johnson, the Mayor of Dallas. Mayor, thanks of all for joining us. First of all, our condolences. This is all new information we're getting from the FBI director, Kash Patel, saying it shows a high degree of planning. First of all, what's your reaction?
MAY. ERIC JOHNSON (R): Well, first of all, thanks for having me on, Wolf. It's really sad. I want to stay out of the way of the FBI's investigation and not comment too much on what they're discovering. But I will tell you that it's very troubling, I think, the trend that we're seeing of increasing political violence in this country. And yesterday's political violence hit close to home for us here in Dallas. And we're concerned. We're concerned about just the division that seems to be leading to some folks taking these very, very unfortunate and violent steps to try to bring about policy changes. It's just wrong and it's scary. It's very scary.
BLITZER: It certainly is. How unsettling, Mayor, do you find this level of planning that apparently went into this?
JOHNSON: Well, again, it's new information, and so we're still processing it. But it shows that people are paying attention to these violent acts and there's a certain amount of copycat-ism going on out there. This is not something to be trifled with. This is not something to be taken lightly.The vilification of ICE and law enforcement generally that's been going on – led primarily by folks on the left, in my humble opinion – has created a situation where things like this are going to continue to happen if we don't do something. We have to decry the vilification of law enforcement and the idea that violence can ever be a tool to bring about policy change. I just think we have to draw a very, very bright line and just say it's never okay to avail yourself of violence to try to bring about policy change. And so we’ve got some work to do, serious work to do in this country, because lives are at stake.
BLITZER: Kash Patel, the FBI Director, released a picture of a bullet recovered from the scene inscribed with the words "ANTI-ICE." But investigators are still probing what the motive was for this attack. So why do you think President Trump already is blaming what he calls, “Radical Left Democrats?” Do you think he should stop doing that?
JOHNSON: I can't speak for the President, but I think — I think this much is clear. There is a growing trend amongst – particularly, I think data is showing amongst younger folks in this country to availing themselves of violence as a means to bring about policy change. It's just something that I think should be off the table. And I think most folks, most – there was a time when we actually just didn't believe that this was something that should be ever on the table to try to make a policymaker change their mind about a decision.
But increasing numbers of young people today in this country – and I think it's being stoked in a lot of ways by some of this rhetoric around law enforcement and ICE being the enemy, ICE being the Gestapo, ICE being a criminal organization of some sort. That's creating a real problem. And I think we have to really face this head on.
And I think the President is sensitive to that. I think he's concerned about that. But I can't speak to how he's characterizing the evidence that's being released by the FBI right now. And I want to make sure I steer clear of that investigation as well. But I am deeply concerned about the growth of political violence in this country. And I think we have to deal with it.BLITZER: We all are deeply concerned. As you know, Mayor, the Deputy White House Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller, has long vilified Democrats, including the whole party, basically. Listen to what he said just a month ago. Listen to this. We’ll get your reaction.
[Cuts to clip]
STEPHEN MILLER [on Hannity, 08/25/25]: The Democrat Party does not fight for, care about, or represent American citizens. It is an entity devoted exclusively to the defense of hardened criminals, gangbangers, and illegal alien killers and terrorists. The Democrat Party is not a political party. It is a domestic extremist organization.
[Cuts back to live]
BLITZER: He says the Democratic Party is a domestic extremist organization, not a political party. You were elected to your first term as a Democrat, but now you're a Republican. Is the Deputy White House Chief of Staff wrong to call your former party a domestic extremist organization?
JOHNSON: Here's how I would describe the situation with the two parties. I think there's one party, the Republican Party, that has consistently – and, in fact, I can't think of a time when the Republican Party has not stood for law and order and has not supported law enforcement. And I think the Democrat Party, which I was a member of for a very long time and switched a couple of years ago basically over this issue.The Democrat Party has decided that, in an effort to gain greater support from certain activist groups – in 2020, it was Black Lives Matter. Most recently, it's been some of the pro-immigration groups in the country – that they are going to try to paint law enforcement, our local police, as a threat to the safety of our residents and our citizens in this country, as much of a threat as actual violent criminals.
And same with ICE. They have tried to now paint ICE as an organization that is as much of a threat to Americans as violent criminals. And that is not consistent with being a party of law and order and us being a nation of laws. And I left the party over it.
I support the police. People in my city support the police. And I think ICE is enforcing the laws of this country. That's what they're doing –BLITZER: But Mayor, let me just press you.
JOHNSON: - And I don't think that they should be vilified for it.
BLITZER: Let me just press you. Is the Democratic Party a domestic extremist organization as the Deputy White House Chief of Staff says?
JOHNSON: I don't know if there's a defined – if those words have a definition, whatever he said. I will tell you this. It's a political party that does not support, to the extent that it should, law and order – and particularly our immigration laws – and has not been very supportive of the police. And I lived through it during the defund the police movement, and I left the party over it.
The Democrat Party, for sure, seems to feel more sympathy toward people who are perpetuating crimes than the victim of crimes. So I don't know about the language that Mr. Miller used, but I will tell you that's been my experience with the Democrat Party. That's why I left.
BLITZER: But I still am not hearing you answer the question. Is the Democratic Party an extremist organization as Stephen Miller, the Deputy White House Chief of Staff, insists?
JOHNSON: I think their views on law enforcement, to the extent that they are defining ICE as a criminal organization or the problem, is an extreme view. I think that's an extreme view, yes. If that answers your question, Wolf.
I think that to characterize an agency of the federal government, that's enforcing the laws of the United States and helping to keep our country's border secure, is being defined as a criminal organization or the enemy of the people that needs to be resisted, and sanctioning in many ways the kinds of things that we were seeing happening in the country, including yesterday, then I think that's an extreme view.
So, again, those aren't my words, so I don't want to adopt that exact language as my own, but I think extreme is an appropriate description of that position.(…)