These are the cities Trump targeted next after federalizing D.C. police
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President Trump speaks during a news conference to discuss crime in Washington, D.C., at the White House. Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump temporarily placed Washington, D.C., police under federal control on Monday and implied that he would intervene in other cities despite crime rates falling.
Why it matters: Trump's D.C. takeover is a major escalation of federal control not frequently seen in America, and further illustrates his willingness to target Democratic-led cities while testing the limits of presidential authority.
- While announcing the D.C. crackdown, Trump also named Los Angeles, Baltimore, Oakland, New York and Chicago as cities that are "bad, very bad," without offering specific reasons why.
- He said D.C.'s crime rates and its homeless population are why he's intervening in the nation's Capital despite the Justice Department in January declaring violent crimes are at a 30-year low.
- The president for years has accused immigrants of committing crimes, despite evidence to the contrary.
Reality check: Murder in America was down 15% last year, according to data the FBI compiles from local jurisdictions.
- The overall crime rate was down 5% nationally, and robberies were down 9%.
- Data from 68 law enforcement agencies showed a 19% drop in homicides in most major U.S. cities in the first six months of 2025, according to the Major Cities Chiefs Association.
- Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles to counter protests against immigration arrests provoked legal challenges from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who opposed the move.
What he's saying: "We're not gonna lose our cities over this," Trump said Monday morning. "And this will go further."
Here are the crime rates for other cities where Trump said he was going to intervene:
Oakland, California
Oakland saw a significant decrease in reported crimes in every single tracked category in 2024, according to data from the local police department.
All violent crimes in the city dropped by 19% compared to 2023 levels.
- Homicides were down 32% and motor vehicle theft is down 32%.
- Robberies were down 24% and burglaries are down 48%.
Chicago
Trump also singled out Chicago's no cash bail policy, and claimed he would change it despite it being a law enacted by the state.
Yes, but: Crime in Chicago has fallen by 15% since 2023 when cash bail was eliminated across the state, according to the most recent data from the Chicago Police.
- Murder was down by 37%, robbery was down by 36% and motor vehicle theft was down by 44% from 2023.
Baltimore
In Baltimore City, violent crime decreased 17% in the last year, according to a dashboard run by the Baltimore City Police Department.
- Homicides were down 27% in the past year, and carjacking was down by 20%.
New York City
The overall crime index in New York City dropped 3% in 2024, according to a report compiled by the local police.
- There was a 27% decrease in robbery, and a 4% decrease in murder.
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