Rantz: Bruce Harrell’s re-election strategy? Praying Trump sends troops to Seattle

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is praying that President Donald Trump sends troops to Seattle. Not because he thinks the city needs them, but because he needs Trump as his political foil.

Harrell is getting hammered in his re-election race against socialist Katie Wilson. He’s struggling to capture media attention, desperate for a headline that doesn’t involve his failures on crime, homelessness, and public safety. Enter Trump and the troop deployments in Portland.

When Trump moved forces to protect Portland’s ICE facility, Portland officials rushed to declare their city “peaceful.” Senator Ron Wyden posted a cheery daytime video of boarded-up buildings, insisting everything was fine. The City of Portland bragged about Saturday Markets and food carts, ignoring the nightly Antifa chaos. Even columnist Nicholas Kristof downplayed the unrest with a Pinot Noir joke. It was a full-blown gaslighting campaign.

And Harrell couldn’t resist inserting himself into the drama.

Bruce Harrell needs Donald Trump

As KING 5 reported, Harrell jumped to criticize Trump’s “illegal” tactics in Portland—a city he doesn’t govern. Why? Because he’s itching for that same battle here. If Trump sends troops to Seattle, Harrell gets the fight he wants: a big, theatrical showdown where he gets to play the tough guy “standing up to authoritarian Trump.”

This isn’t about protecting Seattle. It’s about protecting Harrell’s career. He relishes bluster and loves nothing more than a press conference where he can pound his chest and spit fire. Troops in Seattle would give him exactly that.

The truth is simple: Harrell wants conflict because conflict makes him look relevant. While Seattle continues to buckle under crime and addiction, its mayor is scheming for a photo-op battle with Trump.

Harrell doesn’t need troops. He needs a plan. And right now, the only thing he’s fighting for is his own political survival.

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