Democrats Again Champion Criminals — This Time in Washington

President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard and temporarily take control of Washington, D.C.’s police force has sparked predictable outrage from Democrats and their media allies. But beneath the noise lies a troubling pattern. Once again, the Democratic Party has chosen to side with criminals over communities, ideology over safety, and optics over outcomes. This time, the battleground is the nation’s capital city.

The first and foremost fact is that Washington has a high crime rate, even by official count – and that count is not accurate. That is of special concern since it is a city to which millions of tourists and guests travel each year – including foreign guests and school children. It is the workplace of hundreds of thousands of government workers and our highest and most critical public officials. It should be among the safest of American cities.

The Founders wisely created a special District for the nation’s capital so that no one state would exercise unique control or advantage. Over the years, the local government has been granted a level of autonomy, but the District of Columbia remains under the control of Uncle Sam.

Presidential Authority and Legal Grounds

The legal basis for Trump’s intervention is clear. As president, he holds direct authority over the D.C. National Guard and, under Section 740 of the Home Rule Act, can assume control of the Metropolitan Police Department during a declared emergency. Trump invoked this power, citing a “public safety emergency,” and appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi to oversee operations.

While Mayor Muriel Bowser and congressional Democrats cried foul, the move is entirely lawful. D.C. is not a state. It is a federal District, and the president’s authority here is unique and unambiguous.

Crime Statistics: A Misleading Narrative

Democrats argue that crime is down in D.C., pointing to a recent 23 percent drop in violent crime. Even if accurate, the claimed recent drop in crime rates is down from unprecedented levels and remains unacceptably high.

Moreover, the reported numbers are deceptive and misleading. As critics have pointed out—including members of the D.C. police union—the apparent drop in crime coincides with a dramatic fall in arrests. Fewer arrests don’t mean fewer crimes by Democrat calculations. That means fewer consequences and less accountability. In fact, it leads to more crimes – reported and unreported.

Gregg Pemberton, head of the D.C. Fraternal Order of Police, warned in a recent interview:

“The numbers are being manipulated. Officers are discouraged from making arrests, and the laws passed by the D.C. Council make it nearly impossible to detain young offenders—even when they’re armed.”

This isn’t speculation. It is policy. The Youth Rehabilitation Amendment Act allows offenders under the age of 22 to receive alternative sentencing for most crimes – meaning no jail time and no record. According to police, this incentivizes repeat offenses and undermines accountability, especially for violent crimes like armed robbery or carjacking.

The D.C. Council passed measures that restrict pretrial detention for juveniles, even in cases involving firearms or serious assault. Violations of curfew laws by minors are no longer enforced. The D.C. Council created programs designed to divert youth crimes away from the criminal justice system in favor of counseling or community service. Again, no record of the crime.

According to Pemberton, police have to call to get approval to arrest perpetrators under 22 years of age. Understandably, all these actions have resulted in a surge of youth crimes in which there is a high percentage of crimes unreported. They do not show in the records because police are not empowered to pursue arrests and incarceration.

These laws reflect a broader philosophy of rehabilitation over punishment, but critics like Pemberton argue that they’ve gone too far — creating a system where young offenders face few consequences, even for violent crimes. This legal framework helps explain why crime statistics may appear to decline while public safety concerns persist. The public is impacted by the crimes, not the government statistics.

Pemberton added, “We’ve reached a point where even if a teenager is caught with a gun, they’re back on the street in hours. The system is broken.”

Is Left-Wing Media Seeing the Light?

Even liberal media figures are beginning to crack under the weight of this reality. On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough read a text from a “very liberal” friend who supported Trump’s National Guard deployment, citing personal experiences with crime in D.C.

Scarborough didn’t hold back. “If people feel unsafe… don’t give them crime statistics. That is the wrong answer.” His guest, MSNBC host Simone Sanders, tried to defend the city’s leadership, but the exchange revealed a growing unease—even among Democrats and their media allies—that the party’s approach to crime is failing.

Figures Do Not Lie, but Liars Figure

Washington is another example of Democrat racial hypocrisy. Like all other major cities, the highest crime rates – and most serious crimes – occur in the Black and Hispanic segregated neighborhoods. Democrat legislators and media folks claim Washington is safe because they live in the elitist “safe” neighborhoods – and enjoy exceptional security unavailable to the average citizen on the street. One of the benchmarks of Democrat rule over the nation’s major urban ghettoes is ignoring the deadly high crime rates endured by minorities trapped in the urban ghettoes. That is the case in Washington.

A City of Global Importance

Washington, D.C. isn’t just another American city—it is the symbolic and functional heart of the nation. With more than 25 million tourists visiting annually, the capital should be among the safest cities in the world. Instead, it ranks fifth in murder rate among major U.S. cities and continues to struggle with exceptionally high rates of gang violence, youth crime, and property theft – including flagrant looting. The failure to secure D.C. undermines national prestige and public trust.

A Pattern of Democrats Championing Criminals

Trump’s critics accuse him of political grandstanding, but his supporters see a broader pattern of Democrat reluctance to enforce the law – coddling criminals. This includes:

• Immigration enforcement: Democratic cities often refuse to cooperate with ICE, shield undocumented immigrants from arrest, and oppose deportation efforts.
• Prosecutorial leniency: In 2022, Biden’s U.S. attorney declined to prosecute 67 percent of arrests in D.C., compared to 31 percent in 2016.
• Defunding efforts: Progressive activists and some Democratic lawmakers have pushed to reduce police budgets, despite rising public concern over crime.

These national policies, critics argue, prioritize ideological purity over public safety and embolden criminal behavior.

Conclusion: A City at a Crossroads

Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. is controversial, but it reflects a growing frustration with the disconnect between crime statistics and on-the-ground experience by residents. While Democrats insist the numbers show improvement, residents, tourists, and even some left-wing Democrats are saying otherwise.

In a rational political world, the municipal leadership in Washington would welcome Trump’s help. But Mayor Bowser rejects it even as she claims to need help – more police and more money, of course. You may recall that Bowser rejected Trump’s offer for National Guard help in managing the Capitol Hill riot.

Washington, D.C. deserves to be a beacon of safety and order—not a cautionary tale. Whether Trump’s intervention will yield lasting change remains to be seen, but it has undeniably exposed the fault lines in America’s debate over crime, justice, and governance.

Democrats will continue to frame this as authoritarian overreach. They will cite statistics, invoke civil liberties, gnash their teeth and accuse Trump of political theater. But the facts on the ground tell a different story. Residents are scared. Police are overwhelmed. Criminals are emboldened. And the people entrusted to fix it are too busy protecting their ideological turf and their mendacious narratives to protect their constituents.

This is not just about D.C. It is about a broader crisis of accountability in Democratic cities across America. It’s about a party that has lost its way on public safety, choosing compassion for criminals over justice for victims. And it is about a president who, for all his flaws, is willing to do what others won’t: confront the problem head-on.

Once again, the Democrats have chosen to champion criminals. This time, it is in Washington. And once again, it is the people who suffer.

So, there ‘tis.

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