Newt Gingrich: Democrats don't want to talk about their disastrous policies in cities like Chicago

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Newt Gingrich: 'Systemic racism' is a political term

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told 'Outnumbered' that the term 'systemic racism' is a political tool designed to 'shut you up'

"Systemic racism" is a political term designed to stifle dialogue, former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said Friday, arguing that Democrats do not want a national conversation about the violence in Chicago and other cities.

Appearing on "Outnumbered" with host Melissa Francis, responding to a question about violent crime in Democratic-led cities, Gingrich said that the term was also made to "make [one] feel guilty." 

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"The police commissioner in Chicago who had to report on the [104] shootings is an African-American. The...police chief in Minneapolis is an African-American. But, I think that there are really deep problems," he said. 

During a Thursday night town hall with Sean Hannity, President Trump blasted Democratic mayors in cities like Oakland, Chicago, and Baltimore for their high rates of homicide and other violent crimes.

"Chicago is an example, it is worse than Afghanistan," Trump told Hannity. "These cities, it’s like living in Hell."

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The Windy City reached a grim milestone late last month when it saw 18 murders in one day – making May 31 the city’s deadliest day in 60 years. 

That said, the murder rate in Chicago has dropped over the past few years. The country’s third-largest city saw 490 murders in 2019 – a 13 percent drop from the 564 in 2018 and a 35 percent drop since the 756 in 2016 when Chicago reported its highest number of homicides in two decades.

"And, the tragedy is -- and I think this is what the president is getting at -- Democrats have run Chicago since 1931, 89 years," Gingrich said. "They have run Baltimore 56 years. Nancy Pelosi's father and brother were [both] mayors of Baltimore."

"You go to all of these cities that have adopted Democratic policies, Democratic unions, Democratic institutions -- they are a disaster if you’re poor," he added. "And, we need to have a national conversation about profoundly changing them."

But, according to Gingrich, the problem with a real discussion is that it would get to "places [where] liberals don't want to go." 

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"They need more police, not fewer. Defunding the police in this environment is an act of suicide. They need to be better trained and they all have to have body cameras," he said. "But, the idea that New York is going to cut $1 billion...out of the police force -- guarantees a dramatic increase in crime."

Gingrich told Francis that "all of this vandalism" changes the equation.

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"It's part of a movement to discredit the police who are overwhelmingly risking their lives and decent people, and it is saying to people, ‘You know, you can break the law and get away with it,'" he said. "And, that's where I hope the president will move from talk to action and simply have the FBI and others start arresting people. And, you know, trying them and then putting them in jail for a long time."

"You’re not going to stop the violence until you get people who are violent off the street," Gingrich concluded. 

Fox News' Andrew O'Reilly contributed to this report.