It’s time to call out Portland Mayor Keith Wilson’s latest round of scare tactics. His message is simple: if Portlanders don’t volunteer more of their time to help the homeless, then President Donald Trump will swoop in like some political bogeyman.
Half a Billion Already Spent
Let’s start with the facts. Last year, Portland and Multnomah County poured more than $500 million of taxpayer money into homelessness programs. That equals over $62,000 per homeless person, based on the county’s own count.
Despite that staggering figure, Mayor Wilson says it’s still not enough. He insists that ordinary citizens must do even more — not just with their wallets, but now with their free time.
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Does that make sense to anyone who’s been watching the problem spiral year after year?
The Trump “Threat”
Rather than defend his record, Wilson is trying to frighten Portlanders with talk of “federal intervention” under Trump. He claims that unless residents step up, Trump will target Portland.
But here’s the truth: Trump has already intervened in Washington, D.C., because of its out-of-control crime wave — and the results speak for themselves. In the past 30 days alone:
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Carjackings are down 85%
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Robberies are down 42%
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Overall violent crime is down 25%
That’s not a scare tactic. That’s action.
Trump has also pledged to hold sanctuary cities like Portland and Seattle accountable by arresting criminal illegal aliens shielded by local policies.
What Wilson Won’t Say
Mayor Wilson could be honest with Portlanders. He could admit that despite hundreds of millions already spent, the crisis worsens by the year. He could say that federal authorities are prepared to step in where city leadership has failed, both on homelessness and crime.
But imagine if the Mayor stood at a podium and told the truth:
“I need Portlanders to hand over more than half a billion dollars — plus their own volunteer time — because otherwise President Trump plans to crack down on crime in our community and arrest criminal illegal aliens.”
That would sound absurd. It would expose the hollow core of his policies. And so, Wilson turns to lies and fear, painting Trump as the bogeyman rather than acknowledging his own failures.
Fear or Accountability?
Portlanders deserve leadership rooted in results, not rhetoric. They deserve transparency about how their tax dollars are spent, and honesty about whether those dollars are delivering real solutions.
Instead, Mayor Wilson leans on threats and excuses. The real question is whether Portlanders will keep falling for it — or finally demand accountability.
