GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin, former MMA fighter, skips seat belts in DC over carjacking fears
By Alex Nitzberg
Published August 14, 2025
Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma indicated that he does not wear a seat belt while driving in Washington, D.C., because he wouldn't want to be "stuck" in the event of a carjacking.
"And by the way, I'm not joking when I say this: I drive around in Washington D.C. in my Jeep … and I don't buckle up," Mullin said.
He made the comments during an appearance on the Wednesday episode of Fox News Channel's "The Ingraham Angle," which was guest hosted by Brian Kilmeade.
GOP SENATOR WARNS DEMS DELAYING TRUMP NOMINEES 'WE CAN DO THIS THE EASY WAY OR HARD WAY'
The senator explained that the reason he does not strap in while driving in D.C. is because of the possibility of carjacking — he does not want to be "stuck" in his vehicle if he needs to swiftly exit.
"And I wear my seat belt all the time, but in Washington D.C., I do not because it is so prevalent of carjacking," he said.
HARMEET DHILLON SAYS 'MALODOROUS HOMELESS PERSON' TRIED TO STEAL HER PHONE IN DC
The lawmaker "is a former undefeated Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter with a professional record of 5-0" and "was inducted into the Oklahoma Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016," according to his Senate website.
President Donald Trump recently moved to crackdown on crime in the city.
SCHUMER GIVES PROFANITY-LACED RESPONSE TO WHETHER DEMS WILL HELP EXTEND DC POLICE TAKEOVER
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
During a press conference on Monday, he called it "liberation day in D.C.," declaring, "We're gonna take our capital back." Print Close
URL
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-sen-markwayne-mullin-former-mma-fighter-skips-seat-belts-dc-over-carjacking-fears
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
6 minutes ago
- New York Post
New Yorkers fighting against massive battery storage plants find new ally in EPA chief Lee Zeldin
New Yorkers fighting the opening of massive battery energy plants in their neighborhoods have a powerful new ally: US Environmental Protection Administrator Lee Zeldin. Zeldin, the former Long Island congressman, will be holding a press conference in Hauppauge Monday to discuss environmental safety issues posed by 'Battery Energy Storage Systems,' which are hazardous when they catch fire. While not explicitly opposing BESS, Zeldin is set to issue a new EPA guidance for communities and local governments to consider regarding the environmental risks of such facilities. Advertisement 3 EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is set to hold a press conference on Long Island on safety issues presented by 'Battery Energy Storage Systems' on Monday. REUTERS/Raquel Cunha 'Calling a technology 'green energy' does not mean there are no environmental impacts,' Zeldin, the 2022 Republican candidate for governor, told The Post. He blasted the 'delusional' and unrealistic green energy goals advanced by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats amid the backlash against the proliferation of battery storage plants across New York, including Staten Island, Queens, the Hudson Valley and upstate. 'Residents are looking across the country where dangerous lithium battery fires at BESS facilities have caused widespread damage, and they are concerned with New York's partisan push to fill yet another of its delusional 'green' goals, which the state itself admits it cannot meet,' Zeldin said. Advertisement 'Many New Yorkers, especially in New York City and on Long Island, have made their voices clear – they do not want Battery Energy Storage Systems built in their neighborhoods.' The Empire State is aggressively expanding battery energy storage systems to meet ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and achieve 100% zero-carbon emission electricity by 2040 under the the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019. Zeldin slammed what he deemed wacky state Democrat policies that move to limit or phase out more reliable energy sources such as natural gas to advance their climate protection agenda. Advertisement 3 A protest against a proposed lithium-ion battery energy storage system in Brooklyn on Aug. 6, 2025. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post 'The state that banned the safe extraction of natural gas, gas hook-ups on new construction, gas stoves, and aims to end the sale of gas-powered vehicles, continues to put the safety and well-being of New Yorkers second to their climate change agenda,' Zeldin said. He cited recent incidents in California and Hawaii to demonstrate the serious risks BESS facilities pose to host communities and first responders. Advertisement A rep for Hochul said it was bizarre to have the nation's environmental chief opposing the advancement of clean energy programs that reduce carbon emissions to tackle climate change, aiming to improve the environment while diversifying New York's power supply. 'Lee Zeldin's job is to protect the environment, but he has been doing anything but that,' said Ken Lovett, Senior Hochul's communications advisor on energy and the environment. 'His continued assault on clean energy and his push for rollbacks on environmental protections will hurt everyone in his home state of New York and across the country and fly in the face of the federal government's claim of wanting U.S. energy independence,' Lovett said of Zeldin. 'While other states are rapidly investing in storage to stabilize their grids and lower costs, Zeldin's approach risks leaving New York's economy behind and forcing New Yorkers to pay,' he said. New York recently enacted among the most stringent battery energy storage regulations in the country in 2023 pertaining to safely developing energy storage facilities, Hochul's office said. 3 Zeldin is set to issue a new EPA guidance for communities and local governments on the plants. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post Six former city fire safety officials, including former FDNY Commissioner Tom Von Essen, praised the regulations. Since 2019, New York has approved more than 6,000 battery storage projects creating 440 megawatts of capacity, with 1.3 gigawatts already under contract and a state goal of six gigawatts by 2030, according to the EPA. Advertisement New York passed two laws that dramatically expanded the state government's power to override local opposition for major renewable projects, including battery storage facilities of 25 megawatts or larger. The Hauppauge facility is not subject to a state override, but residents there have expressed widespread misgivings. Concerns include potential toxic emissions released during a blaze as well as contaminated water containing hydrofluoric acid and other pollutants being discharged into the Nissequogue River and groundwater while fighting a fire at the facility.
Boston Globe
6 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Black mayors of cities Trump decries as ‘lawless' tout significant declines in violent crimes
'It gives us an opportunity to say we need to amplify our voices to confront the rhetoric that crime is just running rampant around major US cities. It's just not true,' said Van Johnson, mayor of Savannah, Ga., and president of the African American Mayors Association. 'It's not supported by any evidence or statistics whatsoever.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up After deploying the first of 800 National Guard members to Washington, the Republican president is setting his sights on other cities including Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Oakland, Calif., calling them crime-ridden and 'horribly run.' One thing they all have in common: They're led by Black mayors. Advertisement 'It was not lost on any member of our organization that the mayors either were Black or perceived to be Democrats,' Johnson said. 'And that's unfortunate. For mayors, we play with whoever's on the field.' Advertisement The federal government's actions have heightened some of the mayors' desires to champion the strategies used to help make their cities safer. Trump argued that federal law enforcement had to step in after a prominent employee of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was attacked in an attempted carjacking. He also pointed to homeless encampments, graffiti, and potholes as evidence of Washington 'getting worse.' However statistics published by Washington's Metropolitan Police contradict the president and show Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson scoffed at Trump's remarks, hailing the city's 'historic progress driving down homicides by more than 30 percent and shootings by almost 40 percent in the last year alone.' Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles, where homicides fell 14 percent between 2023 and 2024, called the federal takeover nothing but a performative 'power grab.' In Baltimore, officials say they have seen historic decreases in homicides and nonfatal shootings this year, and those have been on the decline since 2022, according to the city's public safety data dashboard. Carjackings were down 20 percent in 2023, and other major crimes fell in 2024. Only burglaries have climbed slightly. The lower crime rates are attributed to tackling violence with a 'public health' approach, city officials say. In 2021, under Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore created a Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan that called for more investment in community violence intervention, more services for crime victims, and other initiatives. Scott accused Trump of exploiting crime as a 'wedge issue and dog whistle' rather than caring about curbing violence. 'He has actively undermined efforts that are making a difference saving lives in cities across the country in favor of militarized policing of Black communities,' Scott said via email. Advertisement The Democratic mayor pointed out that the Justice Department has slashed over $1 million in funding this year that would have gone toward community antiviolence measures. He vowed to keep on making headway, regardless. 'We will continue to closely work with our regional federal law enforcement agencies, who have been great partners, and will do everything in our power to continue the progress despite the roadblocks this administration attempts to implement,' Scott said. Just last week Oakland officials touted significant decreases in crime in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2024, including a 21 percent drop in homicides and a 29 percent decrease in all violent crime, according to the midyear report by the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Officials credited collaborations with community organizations and crisis response services through the city's Department of Violence Prevention, established in 2017. 'These results show that we're on the right track,' Mayor Barbara Lee said at a news conference. 'We're going to keep building on this progress with the same comprehensive approach that got us here.' After Trump gave his assessment of Oakland last week, she rejected it as 'fearmongering.' Social justice advocates agree that crime has gone down and say Trump is perpetuating exaggerated perceptions that have long plagued Oakland. Nicole Lee, executive director of Urban Peace Movement, an Oakland-based organization that focuses on empowering communities of color and young people through initiatives such as leadership training and assistance to victims of gun violence, said much credit for the gains on lower crime rates is due to community groups. 'We really want to acknowledge all of the hard work that our network of community partners and community organizations have been doing over the past couple of years coming out of the pandemic to really create real community safety,' Lee said. 'The things we are doing are working.' Advertisement She worries that an intervention by military forces would undermine that progress. 'It creates kind of an environment of fear in our community,' Lee said. In Washington, agents from multiple federal agencies, National Guard members and even the United States Park Police have been seen Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson Savannah's Johnson said he is all for partnering with the federal government, but troops on city streets is not what he envisioned. Instead, cities need federal assistance for things like multistate investigation and fighting problems such as gun trafficking, and cybercrimes. 'I'm a former law enforcement officer. There is a different skill set that is used for municipal law enforcement agencies than the military,' Johnson said. There has also been speculation that federal intervention could entail curfews for young people. But that would do more harm, Nicole Lee said, disproportionately affecting young people of color and wrongfully assuming that youths are the main instigators of violence. 'If you're a young person, basically you can be cited, criminalized, simply for being outside after certain hours,' Lee said. 'Not only does that not solve anything in regard to violence and crime, it puts young people in the crosshairs of the criminal justice system.' Advertisement For now, Johnson said, the mayors are watching their counterpart in Washington, Muriel Bowser, closely to see how she navigates the unprecedented federal intervention. She has been Johnson praised Bowser for carrying on with dignity and grace. 'Black mayors are resilient. We are intrinsically children of struggle,' Johnson said. 'We learn to adapt quickly, and I believe that we will and we are.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump approval rating takes another hit in latest poll
President Donald Trump's approval rating slipped again in the latest Pew Research Center poll released Thursday. The Pew Research Center poll found that Trump's approval rating has dropped three percentage points over the past two months and is down nine points since shortly after he took office. The poll ultimately found that Trump had a 38% approval rating among all Americans, which is down from the 47% approval rating in January. The poll found Trump's approval rating also dropped among those who voted for him since taking office earlier this year. Trump's approval rating among his own supporters fell from 95% recorded earlier this year to 85% in the latest poll. The Pew Research Center found that an overwhelming majority of those who identify as strong Republicans still approve of how he is handling his job as president. About 93% approve of his job performance, slightly down from the 96% who said the same shortly after he took office. The research center highlighted a significant change in approval among certain Republican-leaning groups. The research center noted that there has been 'substantial erosion in his approval over this period among those who identify as Republicans but not strongly, as well as among independents who lean toward the GOP.' 'About six-in-ten of those in these groups approve of Trump's performance today, down from roughly three-quarters at the start of his second term,' the research center wrote in its press release. The Pew Research Center also found that public assessments of Trump's personality traits have also fallen off since 2024. More from the research center: Fewer now say he cares about the needs of ordinary people (37% today, 42% last summer), is a good role model (29% now, 34% then) or is mentally sharp (48% now, 53% then). Trump is widely described as standing up for what he believes in: 68% say this today, identical to the share who said this last summer. The poll was conducted among 3,554 adults from Aug. 4 to 10, 2025. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.8 percentage points. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to
