President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to announce that if crime doesn’t decline in Washington D.C., he plans to make the city a federal district again and push for juveniles as young as 14 to be tried as adults.
The post included disturbing language about youth violence and a graphic photo of a bloodied victim, which Trump claimed was a recent target of local gang violence. “Local ‘youths’ and gang members … are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming and shooting innocent citizens,” Trump wrote. “They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now!”
Trump didn’t stop there. He added that D.C. laws must change immediately to begin prosecuting minors as adults — starting at age 14 — and locking them up “for a long time.”
But Here’s the Twist: D.C. Crime Is Actually Down
While Trump painted a chaotic picture of D.C., local police statistics show a different reality. According to UPI, crime in Washington, D.C. is actually down 35% in 2024, marking the lowest rate in the past 30 years.
The decline follows several joint law enforcement initiatives — one of which Trump himself helped launch.
In March, Trump and Mayor Muriel Bowser established the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, a collaboration between local and federal agencies to clean up crime hotspots and boost public safety. The task force includes:
- Members of federal law enforcement
- Local police officers
- Urban planning officials
- Community leaders working together to restore order in D.C.’s hardest-hit neighborhoods
So while Trump says teens are “mugging and maiming” without consequences, local officials say the joint force is working — and the data backs them up.
Trump Wants Crackdown, But Data Says Otherwise
While Trump is calling for harsher laws and federal control of Washington D.C., crime numbers show a different story: Things are actually getting better. His plan to prosecute teens as adults and “lock them up” may fire up his base, but for many in D.C., it feels like a step backward.