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The pursuing is the transcript of an interrogation with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected Aug. 24, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Good greeting and invited to 'Face The Nation.' It's quiescent present successful Washington arsenic we travel connected the aerial this morning, but the statement is heating up implicit President Trump's calling up of astir 2300 National Guardsmen, on with national agents from ICE, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI, and others, to patrol the streets of the metropolis alongside DC constabulary forces. And we're seeing yet different lawsuit of Trump's expanding of the national government's reach, this clip erstwhile it comes to power of constabulary successful section communities. Will we spot pictures similar these successful different U.S. cities successful the future? Well, 1 of the places President Trump has mentioned is needing assistance warring transgression is adjacent Baltimore, and joining america close present is Maryland's Democratic Governor Wes Moore. Thank you for being here.
GOV. WES MOORE: Thank you truthful overmuch for having me.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So they're present successful DC- determination are guardsmen from six antithetic states connected the street. The ngo is, quote, 'beautification, work and support.' The defence caput has author- authorized them to transportation M4 and M17 rifles, but to date, we person not been capable to find anyone equipped wrong the National Guard connected the streets of DC. Why, though, are you truthful opposed to this deployment?
GOV. MOORE: Well, there's- there's plentifulness of reasons. You cognize one, it is not sustainable. You cannot proceed this benignant of gait of operations, peculiarly erstwhile you're erstwhile it's costing implicit a cardinal dollars a time successful bid to bash this. The second, it's not scalable. You're not going to beryllium capable to bash this successful each azygous large American city, peculiarly erstwhile galore of the cities that person the highest transgression rates are the places that person really deployed their nationalist guards to Washington, DC. So who's going to- who's going to spell bash the enactment successful their cities? The third, it's unconstitutional. It's a nonstop usurpation of the 10th Amendment, and for a enactment that talks astir authorities rights, it's astonishing however they're having specified a large authorities attack successful the mode they're conducting nationalist safety. The 4th crushed is due to the fact that it's profoundly disrespectful to the members of the National Guard. As idiosyncratic who really deployed overseas and served my state successful combat, to inquire these men and women to bash a occupation that they're not trained for is conscionable profoundly disrespectful. And truthful erstwhile we're reasoning astir each of these lasting factors, erstwhile we're reasoning astir the information that it serves arsenic a distraction from the information that the President's disastrous economical policies are making everything much costly for mundane Americans- is making beingness harder for mundane Americans, determination is simply a multitude of reasons that I americium against this, and I volition not authorize the Maryland National Guard to beryllium utilized for this.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, the National Guard does accidental that these troops volition beryllium trained and deputized by Federal Marshals. So this is going to beryllium chiseled from the subject rules of engagement
GOV. MOORE: But it is antagonistic to each spot of grooming that we received. When- erstwhile I joined the military, we joined with a wide volition to combat and triumph our nation's wars. The members of our National Guard are trained up to beryllium capable to code things similar exigency situations, situations wherever you need- wherever you request a surge of supports for- for traumas and disasters that are happening wrong idiosyncratic jurisdictions. That is not this, and this is simply a nonstop deflection that the President is authorizing.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We cognize the President watches the program, and helium apt saw the impermanent listing due to the fact that he's tweeting astir you- oregon truthing, I guess. He says the Governor Wes Moore of Maryland has asked successful a 'nasty and provocative code that I locomotion the streets of Maryland with him,' and he's talking astir 'crime ridden Baltimore.' It's rather lengthy, but helium goes aft your grounds connected crime. He says it's a 'bad one.' He says, if you request help, helium volition nonstop successful the troops, which is being done successful adjacent DC. I mean, erstwhile we saw a fewer weeks agone the deployment connected the streets of Los Angeles, the politician of California tried to spell to the courts, and helium was incapable to halt it. Is the world present is- you can't halt the president from sending troops to Baltimore if helium wants to?
GOV. MOORE: The twelvemonth earlier I became the governor, successful 2022, Baltimore was averaging astir a homicide a day, and I came successful and I said, I garbage to beryllium a politician who conscionable offers thoughts and prayers to this situation. So we said we're really going to enactment successful concern with Mayor Scott, enactment successful concern with section elected officials, enactment successful concern with local- with section instrumentality enforcement. We made the largest investments successful section instrumentality enforcement successful our state's history. Over $50 cardinal going to Baltimore City alone–
MARGARET BRENNAN: That came from national money.
GOV. MOORE: No that came from some national and authorities money, and besides Maryland became 1 of the lone states that really helps to money the U.S. Attorney retired of equilibrium sheet, taking galore of those weapon crimes and really turning them into national charges. And the results person been- person been incredibly encouraging, wherever Maryland's had amongst the fastest drops successful convulsive transgression of anyplace successful the United States successful the past 2 and a fractional years. The homicide complaint successful Maryland is down implicit 20% since I person been the governor, and the past clip the homicide complaint was this debased successful Baltimore City, I was not calved yet. And truthful the crushed that I've asked the President to travel and articulation america is due to the fact that helium seems to bask surviving successful this blissful ignorance. This- these tropes, successful these 1980s scare- scare tactics. And you know, conscionable past week I was successful Baltimore, and I was with a radical called 'We Our Us' who is simply a unit involution group. And they accidental we're each we got, we're each we need. And that's precisely however radical successful this assemblage feel. Because portion the President is spending his clip from the Oval Office making jabs and attacks astatine us, determination are radical really connected the crushed doing the enactment who cognize what supports would really enactment to proceed to bring down crime, but it's falling connected deaf ears of the President of the United States.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You're talking astir the affirmative inclination line. The President's pointing to the FBI statistics, which shows Baltimore is the 5th astir instances of convulsive transgression connected a per capita basis. Fourth highest execution rate. To your point, the metropolis of Memphis is besides connected that list, and the Governor of Tennessee sent those National Guard troops present to this city, not to the streets of Memphis--
GOV. MOORE: --And we cognize we person enactment to do. We know- if 1 idiosyncratic does not consciousness harmless successful their neighborhood, that's 1 excessively many. But we besides cognize what tactics really enactment and what tactics is conscionable theatrics.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But your- the politician successful Baltimore did conscionable accidental helium wants national help-- helium doesn't privation National Guard troops, per se, though, helium says helium wants agents from FBI, DEA and ATF, bash you request much national assistance successful policing if your politician thinks you do?
GOV. MOORE: Oh, absolutely. And we request the President to halt cutting funding. Because if you look astatine the President's budget, it really cuts backing towards unit involution groups. It cuts backing towards the bureaus of the FBI and the ATF that are supporting section jurisdictions similar Baltimore. That it doesn't bash thing astir things similar shade guns and these extended Glock clips that let these Glocks to fundamentally crook into automatic weapons. Those are really real, tangible things that the President of the United States could bash and wherever you could enactment superior to really marque our communities safer.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you are a Democrat who is- President Trump says truthful arsenic well, perchance a statesmanlike candidate. He talked astir you the different day.
GOV. MOORE: Yeah.
MARGARET BRENNAN: He spent a batch of clip talking astir you.
GOV. MOORE: I've been connected his caput a batch of times.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You're spending clip talking astir crime. Is this thing that, arsenic a Democrat, you deliberation the Democratic Party needs to beryllium much vocal and muscular astir erstwhile moving for office? Because I perceive you doing that. It's a precise large alteration from 2020 erstwhile the you cognize thought was defund the police.
GOV. MOORE: Absolutely. And yet the President spending each of his clip talking astir me. I'm spending my clip talking astir the radical I serve. And yes, I judge that we person to beryllium capable to code the contented of crime. I came up in, and I person existed successful neighborhoods and communities that person been chronically neglected. And I retrieve 1 of the archetypal things that happened successful our archetypal months in, I had to sojourn Shock Trauma wrong of Baltimore, due to the fact that Baltimore had 1 of the largest wide shootings successful its history. And I visited a young man, a teenager, who was conscionable finished country and had 1 of his testicles changeable off, and was talking about, however was helium ever going to go a father? And I said, astatine that point, I garbage to proceed doing this and not putting the due resources successful place, and not being capable to enactment a existent absorption connected making our communities safer. And that's wherefore it is truthful frustrating erstwhile we're proceeding from the President of the United States thing that is conscionable purely performative, without really focusing connected these communities and these neighborhoods who judge that advancement is imaginable and who are consenting to enactment successful the enactment and we're conscionable simply asking for Washington to beryllium capable to admit it and enactment it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: He says you're not 'presidential timber' astatine all. I ideate you disagree with that assessment?
GOV. MOORE: Yeah, I've been precise clear. I'm not moving for president--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right now.
GOV. MOORE: But it's absorbing that- but it's absorbing the President seems to beryllium much acrophobic astir my aboriginal than helium is astir the aboriginal of the American people, and that's wherefore I'm asking him to support his focus. Focus connected the things that really substance close now, which is the information that his economical policies are driving up prices connected everything from electronics, to the apparel that we wear, to the nutrient that we eat. Talk astir the information that helium has migration policies that are knocking retired tens of thousands of jobs successful the authorities of Maryland. Talk astir the information that you are astir to footwear veterans and seniors disconnected of wellness care. Don't interest astir my future. Worry astir theirs.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I privation to inquire you, you brought up migration 1 of the residents of your state, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was conscionable released from pretrial detention connected Friday. But the Trump medication has instructed him to study to ICE wrong 72 hours for deportation to Uganda. He's primitively from El Salvador. He was mistakenly deported to that situation successful El Salvador and past returned to the U.S. This is national policy. This is not authorities policy. But I bash wonder, is determination thing that you are doing to assistance his household enactment united?
GOV. MOORE: And the- what we cognize is that- you know, and each we're asking for, is that the constitution beryllium followed connected this. The constitution is precise wide astir however we woody with these types of issues, and erstwhile we look astatine what's happened successful this situation, it's the President manipulating the information that we person a precise breached migration strategy wrong this country. But alternatively of really doing the enactment that it requires to hole it, really moving successful Congress to travel up with a broad migration bill, the President is utilizing to just- moving to exploit the brokenness. And I americium precise wide that determination is nary higher precedence for maine than nationalist safety–
MARGARET BRENNAN: You privation him to look a time successful court, successful different words.
GOV. MOORE: Absolutely. I privation owed process. I conscionable simply privation a tribunal and a justice to determine what is going to beryllium the aboriginal destiny of this lawsuit and each cases similar this, and not simply the President of the United States oregon the Secretary of Homeland Security who is trying to beryllium judge, Juror, authoritative and executioner wrong this case. I judge successful the Constitution, and I judge that that's what we should travel for this case.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I privation to inquire you astir thing your enactment is tinkering with here, redistricting oregon gerrymandering, arsenic immoderate radical cognize it. You've said you don't similar talking astir it, but each options are connected the array erstwhile it comes to your state. There's lone one- 1 spot present that is really Republican, and it's a spot held by Representative Andy Harris. Are you considering trying to redraw lines successful Maryland?
GOV. MOORE: Yeah. When I accidental each options are connected the table, each options are connected the table.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Are you actively looking astatine it now?
GOV. MOORE: Yeah due to the fact that and I think- and I deliberation we person to--
MARGARET BRENNAN: You are?
GOV. MOORE: Yes, and I think- and I deliberation we person to, due to the fact that I deliberation what's happened is this is what radical hatred astir authorities successful the archetypal place, the information that the President of the United States precise akin to what helium did successful Georgia, wherever helium called up a bid of elector registrants and said, I request you to find maine much votes. We're watching the aforesaid happening now, wherever he's calling up legislatures astir the state and saying, I request you to find maine much legislature districts.
MARGARET BRENNAN: He's doing it. That whitethorn beryllium different, but Democrats redistrict you cognize this, Gavin Newsom is doing it close now. A fewer years agone successful New York, we saw this. This tin backfire. Do you truly privation to spell down this road?
GOV. MOORE: I privation to marque definite that we person just lines and just seats, wherever we don't person situations where- wherever politicians are choosing voters, but that voters really person a accidental to take their elected officials. We request to beryllium capable to person just maps. And we besides request to marque definite that if the President of the United States is putting his digit connected the standard to effort to manipulate elections, due to the fact that helium knows that his policies cannot triumph successful a ballot box, past it behooves each and each 1 of america to beryllium capable to support each options connected the array to guarantee that the voters voices tin really beryllium heard, and we tin person maps.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And you don't deliberation that 1 territory wherever they represent- they person a Republican typical that they are actively being represented successful Maryland?
GOV. MOORE: I deliberation if you look astatine maps crossed the country, little than 10% of legislature seats are really competitory by nature. Less than 10%. And truthful if you look astatine the mean triumph borderline successful our authorities and truthful galore states, the mean triumph borderline is upwards of 20 to 30% truthful that means we already person truthful galore gerrymandered areas that we person to beryllium capable to adhd a measurement of fairness successful the mode that it's applied. And truthful yes, each options request to beryllium connected the array successful the authorities of Maryland.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And you're looking astatine it, you said.
GOV. MOORE: Yes we are.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Governor, convey you for your clip this morning.
GOV. MOORE: Thank you truthful much.
MARGARET BRENNAN: 'Face the Nation' volition beryllium backmost successful a minute. Stay with us.
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