White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Tuesday that about 850 officers and agents made nearly two dozen arrests on the first night of President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown in Washington, D.C. The deployment included National Guard troops and a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), resulting in 23 arrests for crimes ranging from homicide and firearm offenses to driving under the influence. Authorities also seized six illegal firearms during the operation.
“Over the course of the next month, the Trump administration will relentlessly pursue and arrest every violent criminal in the district who breaks the law, undermines public safety and endangers law-abiding Americans,” Leavitt said. “President Trump will not be deterred by soft-on-crime Democrats and media activists who refuse to acknowledge this rampant violence on our streets. He is going to make our nation’s capital the most beautiful and safe city on Earth, just as he promised on the campaign trail.”
In addition to the more serious charges, agents and law enforcement arrested individuals for stalking, fare evasion, possession with intent to distribute narcotics, reckless driving, fleeing to elude an officer’s vehicle, lewd acts, and possession of a high-capacity magazine. Federal and local authorities said these arrests represent only the beginning of the administration’s month-long push to restore order.
Critics in the corporate media and city officials have argued that Trump is promoting a false narrative about rising violent crime in the district. MPD’s official statistics claim violent crime dropped 35% since 2024, though these numbers notably exclude aggravated and felony assault from their data. This omission, critics say, paints a misleadingly optimistic picture of public safety.
By contrast, FBI data—which does include aggravated and felony assaults—shows violent offenses have only fallen by 10% since 2024 and remain slightly higher than in 2018. Homicide rates have also stayed above pre-pandemic levels, except in 2021 when Washington submitted incomplete crime data, according to Axios. These figures suggest a far less dramatic improvement in public safety than MPD’s reports indicate.
The MPD’s “violent crime” category only tracks homicides, sex abuse crimes, assault with a dangerous weapon, and robbery. In May, a police commander was suspended and placed under investigation for allegedly altering crime statistics in his area to make it appear as though crime had decreased. This revelation further fueled skepticism about the accuracy of official MPD data.
Research from the Rochester Institute for Technology found Washington’s murder rate in 2024 ranked fourth highest in the United States, surpassing major cities like Chicago, New York City, and Atlanta. Despite official claims of improvement, the capital’s crime problem continues to place it among the most dangerous large cities in the country.
So far in 2025, violent incidents have included the gang-related shooting of 21-year-old congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym near a Metro station on June 30. Another high-profile case occurred on May 22, when two Israeli Embassy staffers were killed in a shooting outside the Capitol Jewish Museum. Both events have intensified calls for tougher enforcement measures.
The administration’s crime crackdown escalated after Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine—known by the nickname “Big Balls”—was severely beaten on August 5 while attempting to stop a carjacking. The attack served as a rallying point for the administration, solidifying its resolve to take aggressive action against crime in the nation’s capital.