WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has long criticized D.C.’s crime statistics, calling them fake and manipulated, especially when data showed crime had been dropping before he took control of the city’s police department.
Now, with the same agency reporting a further decline in crime, the White House is highlighting those figures as proof of Trump’s policies working.
“Total crime in D.C. is down 19%, and violent crime is down 30%,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday, listing sharp decreases in homicides, robberies, car thefts, and assaults. “These numbers show the president’s bold actions to make D.C. safe and beautiful again are working just like he promised.”
The statistics come from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) — the same agency Trump previously accused of publishing “fake” crime numbers to make the city appear safer. The White House confirmed it is now using MPD’s data but declined to comment on the apparent reversal.
This shift isn’t surprising for an administration known for embracing positive statistics while dismissing negative ones. Earlier, when Trump assumed control of the city’s policing after an assault on a staffer, city leaders and Democrats noted that violent crime had already fallen to a 30-year low. At the time, Trump rejected those claims, insisting the city was dangerous and the numbers were false.
“D.C. gave Fake Crime numbers to create a false illusion of safety,” Trump posted on Truth Social, announcing an investigation into the MPD’s data.
Under Trump’s control, the city has seen an influx of federal agents and National Guard troops. The administration has promoted nightly arrest figures, high-profile detentions, and other enforcement actions as evidence of a crackdown.
Even as crime numbers continued to show steep declines — a 26% drop this year following a 35% drop last year — Trump has continued to publicly question the data.
“They have to stop issuing false crime numbers,” he said Tuesday. “They claimed it was ‘the best in 30 years.’ It’s not the best. It’s the worst. They gave phony numbers and fired the man who refused to sign off on them.”
Claims of data manipulation originally surfaced from the police union, which accused a district commander of misclassifying offenses to make crime stats look better. That commander has since been placed on administrative leave, while union chairman Gregg Pemberton maintains the problem is widespread, alleging officers are often pressured to report serious crimes as minor ones.
The union did not respond to requests for comment but has publicly cited MPD data to credit federal intervention for falling crime rates.
Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress are running their own probe, with House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) claiming a whistleblower told them that crime data is being widely manipulated under orders from senior police leadership.
