WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday said sanctuary cities would be something that needs to be taken under consideration when considering a possible federal bailout of states during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump was asked at the White House what his administration thinks of the federal government sending relief money to states that have already suffered the economic ramifications of quarantines and lockdowns that have lasted for weeks and are likely to continue.
Trump drew a distinction between states along the lines that some would be deserving of bailout money because of the pandemic, while suggesting others have been mismanaged before the pandemic.
"What about the idea of aid to states? ... from Capitol Hill and Washington sending money to individual states, who may be suffering severely through lost revenues and picking up a lot of the tab here?," a reporter asked Trump.
"I think there's a big difference with a state that lost money because of COVID and a state that's been run very badly for 25 years," Trump said. "There's a big difference in my opinion and you know we'd have to talk about things like payroll tax cuts, we'd have to talk about things like sanctuary cities, as an example. I think sanctuary cities is something that has to be brought up. Where people that are criminals are protected, they're protected from prosecution ... I don't even think they know they have a problem, but they have a big problem with the sanctuary cities problem."
President Trump was then asked how he would make such a distinction.
"Well that's a very simple distinction to make," Trump said. We're not looking to do a bailout for a state. That's unfair. It's unfair to many of the states. Most of the states that have done such a good job."
