Trump pushes for more federal law enforcement in DC

I think this tweet captures the reality of where DC is right now. Crime really spiked after 2020 and things have started going down but they are still much, much worse than they previously were. If people do not believe me, my Twitter timeline is filled with DC and former DC residents all saying the same thing and I'm happy to post them.

 

Notice that the table omits the homicide rate of the 1990s?

 

I went as an older kid and again as an adult. I remember a great lunch at Old Ebbitt Grill, a fantastic dinner at 1789, and really enjoying the Supreme Court and being moved by the Holocaust Museum. I've been meaning to go back again but just haven't made it.

 

There’s a subtle relationship confounding all such comparisons that I wish were better understood. Cities are often more similar to other cities across the nation than they are to rural areas nearby, and these rural areas are similarly often more similar to distant rural areas than to nearby cities.

As a result, the differences observed between “red states” and “blue states” are driven not by their relative redness or blueness, but instead by their ratio of urban to rural populations. So if we made DC a state, it would immediately be the most urban state in the union and would display all the metrics of an urban area, including high crime but also high standard of living. Eg The state of DC would immediately the wealthiest state with a median income approx double that of the state of Florida.

And though I think your comment was partly in jest, I do want to add that whether we make DC a state doesn’t actually change these stats in any way. DC’s ostensible high rates of crime and economic activity will still occur no matter what we call the area. Blocking DC from being in a state because of its crime rate makes as much sense as removing Palatka from being in Florida due to its low standard of living. Sure the “state of Florida” would be richer, but no single Floridian’s portfolio would be raised by a dime.

 

I live 30 miles from DC, and have been there many times, and not just the tourist areas. I stay out of gang-infested neighborhoods, as would anyone with a brain. Of course, there's crime in DC. Trump is just amplifying its problems because it's low-hanging fruit. None of the hassle of dealing with governors, senators, etc., and it's symbolism as the Capital lends itself to propaganda of the most bloviating.

 

No cash bail is a big problem. Are ATVs /dirt bikes a crime issue or is the issue really the people riding them?

 

Same here. If Trump is really serious about reducing crime in DC he should deploy the National Guard and federal law enforcement agencies to areas in the District where the most crimes occur and during the hours when violent crimes are most likely (from 10 pm through 6 am). So far it seems that they have deployed to areas in which their deployment would receive the most photo ops like the National Mall during the day when the probability of crime is extremely low. Trump would also request that the funding cuts for DC be restored with the condition that DC use the funds to hire more police. Although he will not do so Trump should also focus on gun trafficking given that firearms are the weapons of choice in most homicides and carjackings.

 

And if you suggest that there are more effective ways for Trump to combat crime that means you either (1) are defending the criminals, (2) don't think crime is a problem, or (3) are simply criticizing Trump even though he at least tried to do something about it. This is the Trump playback over and over.

 

The Justice Department announced in January that violent crime in D.C. is at a 30-year low. Regardless, sending in FBI agents and the national guard to deal with teenagers who are stupidly committing crimes is an absurdity. These people (FBI and national guard) are not trained in dealing with these types of crimes. This is just one more insane brainstorm coming out of the diseased mind of Donald Trump.

 

You mean data that is almost 30+ years old at this point? I'm not sure that is the best argument. Not sure where that data is from either, since it does not line with what is provided. What the data does show is what happens when you have a good mayor like Fenty.

 

There are reasons for what you call the Trump playback. He is causing enormous harm to this country and the world that require pushback against him and his actions. This is not political. It's not liberal vs. conservative. It's trying to avoid disastrous consequences.

 

You think that limited data point tells the story? No offense, but most of what you've posted are anecdotes to support a narrative.

 

It's useful for purposes of comparison and if the most recent data is the most useful there was a significant drop in both the homicide rate and the overall violent crime rate in DC from 2023 to 2024 and it's even lower so far in 2025. There are still areas in DC with a serious crime problem and the focus should be on those areas. Similarly DC has a shortage of police. Rather than cutting federal funds for DC Trump should be urging Congress to restore them maybe earmarking them for law enforcement.
Note: While the House has passed a bipartisan bill increasing funding for police retention and recruitment in the District the Senate has yet to take up the issue and Trump hasn't mentioned it.

 

This is a photo op and a waste of money - period. I'm not sure what news they are trying to distract us from or if this is just Trump's squirrel of the week - but this has become so unserious it's hard to watch. I mean - it's just a joke at this point. Most of the stuff I read about I end up laughing.

 

I'm telling you this as someone that lives just across the river from DC. I'm not someone that lives 30 miles away from DC, I am literally just across the river from it. I've lived in the area since '08. I drive through the district about 3 or four times a week. I spent that last two weeks of July working at JB Anacostia. My wife use to work in DC and still teaches two classes a week there. If you do want to believe me, that is fine but do not tell me that I'm not aware of what DC is actually like right now.

 

The issue is the the serious crime is moving outside of the traditional areas of DC that you would expect it. You are seeing issues in Georgetown and around GW at this point. I do not remember seeing ATVs on the Mall.

I would much rather the DC City Council start changing policies to address this than have Trump bring in the national guard. I do not think this is going to work but I hope that the threat to do it again in the future might force the DC City Council to actually take serious action and not re-elected people that are about to go on trial for bribery and believe that Jews control the weather.

 

It's almost as if people forgot about this. Maybe DC doesn't need money for security?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said, opens new tab in a notice posted last week that D.C. and surrounding areas would receive $20 million less this year from its urban security fund, reducing the funding to $25.2 million and amounting to a 44% year-on-year cut.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/wa...ding-cut-despite-trump-complaints-2025-08-08/

 

DC Police Union Chairman Gregg Pemberton: "We completely agree with the President that crime in the District of Columbia is out of control and something needs to be done with it."

 

It might not just be DC. A new blueprint for dealing with civil disobedience is in the works, courtesy of Orange Patton. This is heading for a new level of paranoid suppression. It hasn't been approved yet, nor many of the details released, but the very idea of it should provoke anxiety in US citizens.

"The Trump administration is evaluating plans that would establish a “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force” composed of hundreds of National Guard troops tasked with rapidly deploying into American cities facing protests or other unrest, according to internal Pentagon documents reviewed by The Washington Post."

"The plan calls for 600 troops to be on standby at all times so they can deploy in as little as one hour, the documents say. They would be split into two groups of 300 and stationed at military bases in Alabama and Arizona, with purview of regions east and west of the Mississippi River, respectively."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/08/12/national-guard-civil-unrest/