President Trump’s use of federal resources to combat crime in the nation’s capital is forcing Democrats to once again address the issue of law and order, something that has been a vulnerability for them in recent elections.

President Donald Trump appears to be pursuing a secondary aim with his federal takeover of law enforcement in D.C., one that paints Democrats as soft on crime.

President Donald Trump’s militarized crime crackdown in Washington, DC, is a clarifying political moment. It’s again exposed Democrats’ struggles to combat Trump’s hardline law-and-order rhetoric and splits within their party that the president exploited to win two elections.