CNN commentator Tara Setmayer argued Monday that President Trump’s sweeping law enforcement crackdown in Washington, D.C., was hypocritical, pointing to other cities with higher crime rates. She suggested that targeting the capital alone undermined the administration’s credibility on public safety.

But podcast host Ben Ferguson quickly countered, noting that Trump has unique legal authority in the nation’s capital, which operates under federal oversight. Ferguson accused Setmayer and other critics of being more upset about Trump’s success in “fighting crime” than about the violent crime wave itself.

The exchange came just days after Trump ordered more than 100 FBI agents to begin nighttime street patrols in D.C., following a string of high-profile assaults, carjackings, and robberies. The move marks one of the most aggressive federal interventions in the city’s policing in decades—and one the White House says is only “step one” in restoring law and order.

Setmayer insisted the crackdown was selective enforcement meant to score political points, but Ferguson dismissed the criticism as partisan outrage. He argued that Trump is doing what Democrats in local government have failed to do for years: protect residents and reclaim public spaces from criminals.

The clash encapsulated a broader media divide over Trump’s approach. Supporters say the deployment sends a strong message that the nation’s capital should reflect the safety and dignity of the country itself. Detractors claim it’s a publicity stunt meant to bolster Trump’s tough-on-crime image ahead of the midterms.

Either way, the televised spat underscored a reality that even Trump’s critics can’t ignore: Washington, D.C., has become a national symbol of lawlessness—and for the first time in years, someone in power is moving fast to change that.