President Donald Trump‘s announcement that he will launch a federal takeover in Washington, D.C., to crack down on violent crime also came with a warning indicating that he might do the same in other major U.S. cities, where data shows that crime and gun violence have drastically decreased.
The president deployed 800 National Guard troops to the nation’s capital and placed local police under federal control as part of an executive order to “liberate Washington, D.C., from the cesspool of crime and homelessness that it has become after decades of unilateral Democrat leadership.”
Trump had indicated last week that he was preparing to federalize D.C. after claiming on Truth Social that violent crime was consuming the city and that “local ‘youths’ and gang members were randomly mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent citizens.”
To argue his point, he referred to an incident involving a former aide for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), who was reportedly assaulted and carjacked by several teenagers, according to city police. The president said the former staffer was “beaten mercilessly by local thugs,” and advocated for prosecuting children as young as 14 as adults.
Former DOGE head Elon Musk amplified Trump’s claims on X, adding that his ex-staff member saw a woman being assaulted by a dozen teens and was “severely beaten to the point of concussion” after he reportedly ran to her defense.
Trump has repeatedly lobbied to federalize D.C. since the COVID-19 pandemic, when the city experienced a surge in crime.
As part of his plan to mobilize federal troops, the president said he was also going to clear out homeless encampments, which he alleges are harboring violent criminals.
“And we are getting rid of the slums, too. We have slums too, we’re getting rid of them,” Trump said. “I know it’s not politically correct. We’re getting rid of the slums where they live.”
The president signaled he might expand his federal intervention plan to other major cities like Baltimore, Chicago, Oakland, and New York City, which he alleged were also seized by violent crime.
“We’re not gonna lose our cities over this, and this will go further. We’re starting very strongly with D.C. and we’re gonna clean it up real quick,” the president said at a news conference.
However, data proves that Trump’s assertions are way off base, showing that crime and gun violence have dramatically decreased in these cities over the last year.
Baltimore has seen double-digit decreases, with homicides down 22 percent and non-fatal shootings down 19 percent through the first half of 2025 compared to 2024, continuing a multi-year downward trend.
Chicago’s police department reported that total violent crime in the city is down at least 22 percent thus far in 2025. Fewer than 90 homicides and more than 400 fewer shootings have been reported compared to last year.
New York City also set records for the lowest number of shootings and murders in May 2025, with both indicators down over 30 percent in the first half of the year compared to 2024.
Violent crime in Oakland is also down nearly 29 percent in 2025, with homicides down 21 percent, aggravated assaults down 18 percent, rape down 24 percent, and robbery down 41 percent in the first half of the year.
Figures released by the federal government also show that Washington, D.C., experienced a 35 percent drop in violent crime in 2024 (reaching a 30-year low), and another 26 percent decrease in 2025, with data showing continued improvement.
Other than the reduction in violent crime rates, the other similarity these cities share is that they all boast Black Democratic mayors and are located in states with Democratic governors. At his press conference, Trump singled out the mayor of Chicago and the governor of Illinois, calling them both “incompetent.”
This is the second time this summer that Trump has deployed National Guard troops to a major U.S. city. The first time was in Los Angeles, where thousands of troops were sent to mitigate massive, citywide protests against the federal government’s increased immigration enforcement.
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