Crime

Trump Should Not Get Credit for the Recent Drop in Violent Crime

Experts do not think the president’s policies played a major role in that historic decline.

Jacob Sullum | 11.4.2026 12:01 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Attorney General Todd Blanche (Samuel Corum/CNP/Polaris/Newscom)

Survey data published last week show a sharp decrease in violent crime from 2024 to 2025, which is consistent with FBI numbers released last summer. Although the Trump administration has tried to take credit for that welcome development, there are several reasons to doubt such claims.

In August, the FBI reported that the U.S. homicide rate fell by 18 percent from 2024 to 2025, an unprecedented drop. According to data compiled by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ), the 2025 rate was the lowest recorded since at least 1900, and the rate is likely to reach "a new historic low" this year.

"We have the numbers down because of what the federal government's doing," President Donald Trump averred during an August 14 speech at the Nassau County, New York, police academy. "Everyone knows we've done an amazing job."

Four days later, a White House press release reinforced that message. "President Trump Delivers the Largest Drop in Violent Crime........

© Reason.com