On Monday morning, President Donald Trump took a bold and unprecedented step to confront the lawlessness that has overtaken Washington, D.C.
In a no-nonsense press conference, Trump announced the federalization of the city’s Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard to battle the soaring crime, rampant homelessness, drug abuse, and urban decay plaguing the nation’s capital. Declaring the day “Liberation Day,” Trump vowed to reclaim the city from what he described as “crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor, and worse.”
Standing alongside key members of his administration, Trump bluntly cut through the typical political correctness: “It’s not politically correct to say this, but we’re getting rid of the slums too. We have slums here.” Trump singled out a recent violent outbreak involving more than 100 youths in the Navy Yard neighborhood as a stark example of the chaos festering unchecked. He addressed the gathered press with a rare mix of candor and toughness, telling them, “You people are victims of it too... you don’t want to get mugged and raped and shot and killed,” emphasizing that this issue affects everyone, regardless of political loyalties.
The aggressive federal takeover of the city’s police force and law enforcement triggered outrage from Democrats and the liberal media, who insist that crime in D.C. is at record lows.
“Violent crime in Washington, D.C. is at a thirty-year low,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote in a post on X. “Donald Trump has no basis to take over the local police department. And zero credibility on the issue of law and order. Get lost.”
CNN reported similar claims:
TRUMP: Violent crime in DC is spiraling out of control so I'm deploying the National Guard
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) August 11, 2025
REALITY: pic.twitter.com/Jhmsd53xCo
The Washington Post similarly reported that “Local and federal data … paint a contrasting picture” to what Trump claimed in the press conference.
The problem with these claims is that those numbers were a sham. Last month, we learned that crime statistics had been manipulated behind the scenes to paint a rosier picture than reality.
Related: U.S. Attorney Pirro Unleashes Fury on a System That Coddles Violent Young Criminals
"A D.C. police commander is under investigation for allegedly making changes to crime statistics in his district. The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed Michael Pulliam was placed on paid administrative leave in mid-May. That happened just a week after Pulliam filed an equal employment opportunity complaint against an assistant chief and the police union accused the department of deliberately falsifying crime data, according to three law enforcement sources familiar with the complaint," NBC 4 Washington reported in July. "The union claims police supervisors in the department manipulate crime data to make it appear violent crime has fallen considerably compared to last year."
So Democrats and their media allies are insisting that crime is no problem in D.C., clinging to doctored data and political spin as their shields. But the recent revelations about the manipulation of crime statistics expose the ugly truth they desperately want to hide.
This isn’t just a case of partisan denial or anti-Trump hysteria; it’s proof that the left always sides with criminals. These reflexive attacks on Trump’s efforts to restore order aren’t about facts; they’re about protecting a failed, lawless status quo that punishes law-abiding citizens while enabling the criminal class. The question is simple: Who really benefits from the Democrats’ willful blindness? It’s not the residents of Washington, D.C. It’s the criminals running rampant in the streets. And until the left stops playing politics with public safety, the capital will remain a broken city in crisis.
They lied about crime to keep the city in darkness. Now, President Trump’s bold move shines a light on the truth. PJ Media breaks the stories the establishment covers up. Join PJ Media VIP with promo code FIGHT for 60% off, and enjoy exclusive reports and VIP perks like commenting privileges. Stand with us—time is ticking to reclaim our cities.
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