ICYMI: Blackburn Joins ‘My View with Lara Trump’ to Discuss Memphis Crime Crackdown, Kids Online Safety Act, and Charlie Kirk

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) joined Fox News' My View with Lara Trump to discuss President Trump's crime crackdown in Memphis, her legislation to combat juvenile crime, the urgent need to pass her Kids Online Safety Act, and the political assassination of Charlie Kirk. Excerpts of Senator Blackburn's interview are below, and video can be downloaded here.

Click here to download Senator Blackburn's interview with Lara Trump.

EXCERPTS OF INTERVIEW ON 'MY VIEW WITH LARA TRUMP'

On President Trump's Crime Crackdown in Memphis:

"We are so grateful to President Trump and his administration. When Kash Patel came here to talk with me about his nomination [and] confirmation, I gave him a sheet of crime stats, and it was Memphis. I said, 'We need your help.' And he's been true to his word. So has AG Bondi and President Trump.

"Kash went in very quietly this summer. They arrested over 500 gang members, got over 100 indictments, confiscated over 100 illegal firearms, and that has paid big dividends for Memphis. That was phase one. This is phase two.

"Having the National Guard… and also ATF, DEA, Homeland Security, [and] U.S. Marshals all there to back up the Memphis police force and help them sustain this great work of the FBI, this is how we're going to Make Memphis Safe Again.

"The stats we saw from this August were the best stats that Memphis has had in years so we welcome the help, we welcome the [National] Guard, and we're grateful to the President for his commitment."

On Combating Juvenile Crime and Carjacking:

"The truancy policy for Memphis city schools is not enforced, [and] that needs to be enforced. We've spoken with local leaders about that. Gangs recruit in those 3:00-6:00 o'clock hours… We need these children to be in school, and after school, we need somewhere for them to go until parents get home.

"We have so many juveniles that are recruited by the gangs so the gang leader has the juvenile go commit the crime and do the carjacking or the smash-and-grab, and then they go to juvenile court when they're apprehended and then they're let right back out to go back to the gang and carry out another crime.

"Raising carjacking to the felony offense so that we can actually prosecute and we can make certain that these juveniles are going to be put into a program where they're not going to be back out committing crimes [and] these gangs are not going to be able to prey on these children and have them do the dirty work."

On Senator Blackburn's Kids Online Safety Act:

"As a mom and a grandmother, I see firsthand what happens to children in the virtual space. We have laws in the physical space that protect children from harm. We don't have anything in the virtual space.

"The Kids Online Safety Act would put that duty of care on the social media platform. They would have to provide a toolbox for kids and parents so that they can delink from these algorithms.

"If a child is going to meet a drug dealer, a pedophile, a human trafficker, a predator, it is most likely going to happen in the virtual space… When children are online, they're the product."

On Charlie Kirk's Political Assassination:

"[I am] heartsick and just devastated being someone that spoke at Turning Point events, knew Charlie [and] cheered for him. [I was] thrilled when he met Erika and know that she was just such an important part of his life, and we grieve with them in this season of sorrow.

"There is no place for this kind of political violence in our society, and I encourage my colleagues across the aisle [to] stand up against this [and] speak out against this. It has to come to a stop."

RELATED

• VIDEO: Blackburn Pays Tribute to Charlie Kirk, Reflects on His Personal Impact and National Legacy

• VIDEO: Blackburn Joins President Trump at White House for Announcement of "Memphis Safe Task Force" to Combat Crime

• Blackburn Applauds President Trump's Decision to Send National Guard to Memphis

• ICYMI: Blackburn Hosts Roundtable Discussion on Preventing Juvenile Crime in Memphis