Former MSNBC host Chris Matthews said Wednesday that the Democratic Party was "falling into a trap of defending what's indefensible" in reacting to President Donald Trump's plan to address crime in Washington D.C.MSNBC "Morning Joe" host Mika Brzezinski asked Matthews about the politics of Trump's announcement, describing it as a political win for Trump before adding, "I think that the Democrats need to go beyond saying, No, look at the data, crime is going down. I feel that is exactly the wrong response politically, even if its true."Trump announced on Monday that he was activating approximately 800 National Guard troops and taking control of the Metropolitan Police Department to tackle crime in DC.Matthews criticized Trump for the Jan. 6 riots but said the move was about the president showing strength, before explaining that he lives in D.C. and added that homelessness and graffiti were evident despite it being a beautiful city.MSNBC HOST REVEALS DC JOURNALIST PRIVATELY SHARED CONCERNS ABOUT CRIME WHILE PUBLICLY DENOUNCING TRUMP'S PLAN"Trump looks at the city visually like a real estate agent. He wants to beautify the city like hes doing at the White House with that ridiculous ballroom hes putting in and getting rid of the Rose Garden. Thats Trump work," Matthews said. "But I think it shows strength I think this is a strength move against the big cities who are in a difficult situation on crime. And the murder rate, you cant keep saying violent crime is down with the murder rates up. To the average person, the murders are about life and death. You dont brag about a rising murder rate. And the Democrats are, I agree with you, Mika, theyre falling into the trap of defending whats indefensible."Brzezinksi agreed and said it was a "trap.""Yes, its a trap. If its not a winner politically to say, 'Oh, youre wrong, look at the data, because you know if one violent crime happens in a very heavily populated part of the city, people hear about it and its visceral. They dont want it. And theyll gravitate to the person who appears to be doing something about it," Brzezinski said.DC ATTORNEY GENERAL BRIAN SCHWALB SLAMS TRUMP'S FEDERAL TAKEOVER, BREAKING WITH POLICE UNIONMatthews recently praised Trump for his political skill during an interview on Charlie Rose's podcast."Hes very good at knowing your condition, your worries, your insecurities. I mean, hed be a great bully in a grade school, a Catholic high school or grade school. I mean, hed be the scariest bully because hed know everybodys weakness. But hes really good at the moment. I mean, hes out there watching television and keeping up, and, Is this the right thing to do, what were doing right now?" Matthews told Rose. "Biden couldnt do that in a million years, not a million years."CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE