Two months after deploying the National Guard in Los Angeles, US President Donald Trump has sent 800 National Guard troops into the American capital. On Monday, he placed the city's police department under federal control, and announced that he would bring in the military if necessary. He justified the move by saying that Washington had a very high level of violent crime, and quoted various statistics to support this.
Claim:
"Crime is out of control in the District of Columbia. […] The magnitude of the violent crime crisis places the District of Columbia among the most violent jurisdictions in the United States," Trump declared in an official White House statement on August 11, reiterating a claim he had posted on his Truth Social platform on August 5. "In 2024, the District of Columbia averaged one of the highest robbery and murder rates of large cities nationwide. Indeed, the District of Columbia now has a higher violent crime, murder, and robbery rate than all 50 States, recording a homicide rate in 2024 of 27.54 per 100,000 residents."
DW Fact check: Misleading
At first glance, it would appear that Trump is right. Crime rates in the US capital are indeed high [see table]. According to the FBI, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the Center for Public Safety Initiatives, in 2023, compared to the 50 US states, Washington, D.C., was one of the most dangerous territories in the US, with a murder rate of 39 for every 100,000 inhabitants.
However, if the numbers...
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