Maryland Gov. Wes Moore wants federal help on crime, but not in Trump's way

Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun on Aug 31, 2025

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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Sunday that he welcomes federal help to fight crime, but not President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard to Baltimore.

The Democratic governor expressed his support for federal assistance on crime reduction policies during ABC’s “This Week” Sunday, when he said federal assistance should include support for local law enforcement and communities.

“Asking me to deploy my National Guard — people who are not trained for municipal policing — is not just not a serious approach,” Moore told co-anchor Martha Raddatz. “We need to make sure we are increasing funding for local law enforcement, and we have to invest in our communities.”

Amid his disagreements with Trump last week over how to effectively address crime, Moore approved $15 million in grants to Baltimore community organizations.

About $6.1 million of these funds were allocated to We Our Us, which provides mentoring services to boys and young men who are considered high-risk for committing violent crime. The remaining $9.45 million funded a variety of nonprofit organizations working on projects in the city.

Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C., where the National Guard has been deployed since early August, claimed earlier this week that the National Guard’s deployment has reduced homicides by 50%, reduced robberies by 62% and reduced carjackings by 87%.

Raddatz asked Moore why he wouldn’t want the National Guard in Baltimore if it is actually helping in D.C., to which the governor replied the National Guard costs “well over $1 million a day” and is not an effective or “sustainable” approach to addressing crime in the long term.

In a separate interview with FOX 45’s Mikenzie Frost, Moore said “effective federal assistance” would include funding to federal agents and bureaus in Maryland, as well as funding for gun violence prevention platforms and local police.

“The federal assistance I think could actually be very helpful is being able to do things like making sure we can surge FBI and ATF agents and bureaus in the area,” Moore said, citing what he said was Trump’s federal funding cut of $30 million for those resources. “I do believe that you need more local law enforcement on the ground, but that’s not things that are included inside of federal support.”

Moore’s comments follow his recent request for Trump to join himself, Mayor Brandon Scott and State’s Attorney Ivan Bates — all of whom are Democrats — in a public safety walk through Baltimore after Trump called Baltimore “so far gone” on crime, a “hellhole,” and a “horrible, horrible deathbed.”

Since the exchange between Trump and Moore began, Moore has touted Baltimore’s sharp decline and historic lows in violent crime.

Baltimore’s homicide rate is on track to drop by nearly one-third this year compared to last. Moore and Scott have highlighted their focus on violence prevention programs, while Bates’ push to hold violent offenders accountable has reshaped the city’s courtroom strategy.

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