Crime

Trump Is Taking Credit for D.C.'s Crime Drop. Here's What the Data Say.

Crime in D.C. had already fallen 29 percent before the National Guard showed up, yet the Pentagon plans to keep at least 2,500 troops in the city through 2029.

Tosin Akintola | 8.20.2026 2:10 PM

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

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

(Photo: Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA/Newscom)

"Washington D.C. went from High Crime to NO CRIME — Thank you President Trump!" reads a Truth Social post from President Donald Trump in July. The president has attributed the district's drop in crime to his deployment of the National Guard, but a recent report says otherwise. 

In the year since the National Guard arrived in the nation's capital, it was mentioned in just 1.3 percent of criminal prosecutions, Reuters reported. Most Guard activity took place "near the city's core," with "little evidence" of a presence in high-crime neighborhoods. Court records show no reference to Guard troops assisting........

© Reason.com