White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt used Thursday’s press briefing to deliver a direct message to Americans living in large, Democrat-led cities, declaring that “decline is a choice” and that residents do not have to “live in constant fear of being robbed, raped or murdered.” She accused local Democratic officials of having “failed for decades” to control violent crime and said they were misleading constituents about public-safety conditions. Leavitt pointed to President Donald Trump’s recent deployment of National Guard personnel to Washington, D.C., as evidence that federal intervention can quickly curb urban violence. She said the operation has produced “hundreds of arrests,” removed more than two dozen illegal firearms and led to noticeable drops in murders and carjackings within weeks. The administration, she added, is prepared to replicate the approach in other cities if requested or if conditions warrant. The remarks intensify the administration’s law-and-order rhetoric and set up a clash with Democratic mayors who argue that federal troops are neither necessary nor welcome. Leavitt maintained that the administration will “stand with victims, not criminals,” while critics contend that local authorities—not the White House—should lead anti-crime strategies.