Trump Misstates Washington Crime Data to Justify Takeover
On Monday, Mr. Trump and his newly confirmed federal prosecutor for Washington cited an array of inaccurate statistics about murders in the city and crimes committed by children. It was part of a broader bid by his administration to rail against crime in urban, largely liberal cities, often turning to exaggerated and inaccurate figures to portray soaring violence and lawlessness.
Here's an assessment of some of their claims.
What Was Said
'Murders in 2023 reached the highest rate probably ever. They say 25 years, but they don't know what that means because it just goes back 25 years.'— Mr. Trump in the news conference on Monday
False. There were 274 homicides in Washington in 2023 for a population of about 679,000 people, a rate of about 40.4. That was the highest rate in over 20 years, but not 'ever.' Moreover, the homicide rate has since declined.
The number of murders declined by more than half in 2024 to 187 while the population grew to over 702,000 people, for a rate of 26.6 per 100,000. The recent trend of declining homicides appears to be holding, with 100 homicides as of Aug. 12, compared with 112 at the same point last year.
The 274 homicides in 2023 was the highest number since 1997, when the city reported 301 homicides, according to police data compiled by the F.B.I. And the rate was the highest since 2003, which had a rate of 44 per 100,000, according to an analysis by Jeff Asher, a crime analyst based in New Orleans.
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