Violent crime plummets in “Democrat run cities” blasted by Trump

Since his return to the White House, President Trump has repeatedly claimed that major cities across the United States are overrun with crime. Trump has specifically targeted cities run by Democrats, calling them “unsafe” and “crime-ridden.”

“The ones that are run by the radical left Democrats, what they’ve done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, they’re very unsafe places and we’re going to straighten them out one by one,” Trump said in a September 2025 speech to military leaders in Virginia. “This is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That’s a war too. It’s a war from within.”

Trump has argued that crime in major cities is so bad that the federal government needs to step in to help reduce crime rates. “I mean, honestly, the crime ridden cities are all Democrat run cities… But if they want help, they can ask for it. And they’re gonna need help,” Trump said to reporters in January 2026. In February, Trump said, “Frankly, if these radical left lunatic Democrats would come and say, please help us, please, we’d stop crimes all over the place.”

But contrary to Trump’s claims, violent crime was at a historic low when he was inaugurated. According to a report by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), in 2026, violent crime has decreased further in cities across the country, including many of the Democratic cities Trump has targeted.

The report used preliminary data collected from 67 law enforcement agencies in major cities and metro areas across the country. The report found that, from January 1 to March 31, 2026, homicides dropped 17.7%, rape dropped 7.2%, robbery dropped 20.4%, and aggravated assault dropped 4.8% compared to 2025.

Trump has falsely claimed that he inherited “rampant crime” from the Biden administration. But crime rates plummeted while former President Joe Biden was in office. After an increase in crime occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, violent crime decreased in 2023 and 2024, according to FBI data. In 2024, “[e]very category of crime decreased in frequency” and reported violent crime “dropped to levels not seen since the 1960s.”

Nevertheless, Trump has continued to push the narrative that many American cities are “hellholes.” The data tells a much different story.

Baltimore

In September 2025, Trump claimed that “you can’t walk across the street [in Baltimore] without being shot.” Trump has called Baltimore a “hellhole” and a “horrible deathbed” and claimed that it is “one of the most unsafe places anywhere in the world.” Last fall, Trump claimed that Baltimore has “crime that’s at levels that nobody’s ever seen before.” In August 2025, Trump said he would not go for a walk in Baltimore with Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) until they “clean[ed] up” their crime.

But contrary to Trump’s claims, Baltimore has been seeing a historic decline in violent crime. In 2025, Baltimore saw the fewest homicides recorded in “nearly 50 years” and the “largest year-over-year percentage decrease in homicides ever recorded.” According to the MCCA report, robbery is down 21.6% in Baltimore during the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. Homicides in Baltimore are also slightly down, while rape is the same as last year and aggravated assault has gone slightly up, with a 12.9% increase compared to last year.

New York City

Trump has argued multiple times this year that New York should ask the government for help with lowering its crime rates. In May 2026, Trump said that the federal government and the National Guard would “love to help” cities including New York. “We’d get crime numbers down 70 percent, 80 percent, 90 percent in a matter of months,” Trump said.

But according to the MCCA report, crime in New York City is already on the decline. Between January 1 and March 31, 2026, New York City saw a 31.7% drop in homicides compared to the same period in 2025. New York City also saw an 8% decline in robbery, while aggravated assault and rape stayed relatively consistent. On May 4, the New York Police Department (NYPD) announced “the fewest murders in recorded history for the first four months of the year and the month of April.” In 2025, New York City saw a 20.2% decline in murders compared to the year before, according to the NYPD.

Oakland

In August 2025, Trump said that “[w]e don’t even mention [Oakland] anymore” because it is “so far gone.” But according to the MCCA report, Oakland has seen a decline in violent crime in the first quarter of this year, with homicides decreasing 22%, rape decreasing 17.6%, robbery declining 42.7%, and aggravated assault dropping 10.1% compared to the same period last year. Oakland also saw a historic decline in homicides in 2025, reaching the lowest level since 1967.

Los Angeles

Trump has said that “[p]arts of Los Angeles are terrible” and that crime in Los Angeles is “bad.” In March 2026, Trump claimed that Los Angeles “should call and probably will” to ask the federal government for help fighting crime.

But Los Angeles has seen a decline in most violent crimes during the first quarter of 2026, according to the MCCA report. From January 1 to March 31, Los Angeles reported a 23.3% decline in homicides. Los Angeles also saw a decline in rape and robbery, while aggravated assault saw a slight increase. In 2025, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) reported a 19% decrease in homicides compared to the year before, the lowest number of homicides reported since 1966.

Portland

Trump has called Portland, Oregon, a “burning hellhole” and “war ravaged.” In October 2025, Trump said, “There’s a huge problem in Portland. I’ll tell you what the problem is, crime.” Trump has claimed that “Portland’s been on fire for years.” But according to the MCCA report, homicides in Portland have declined 63.6%, rape has decreased 12%, robbery has decreased 16.6%, and aggravated assault has decreased 11.1% during the first quarter of 2026.