President Donald Trump has strongly criticized the Center for American Progress (CAP), a prominent liberal think tank, after its report suggested that National Guard deployments across U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., had no measurable impact on reducing violent crime. Trump expressed his frustration on Truth Social, accusing CAP of being a “Radical Left SCAM” funded by individuals and corporations such as George Soros, Bill and Melinda Gates, Google, Apple, Visa, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Walmart, Toyota, T-Mobile, and NBC Universal. He claimed that the report was authored by Chandler Hall, CAP’s associate director of public safety, and labeled him as “foolish.” Trump vowed to take legal action against the organization and its supporters, asserting that crime rates have significantly declined since he assumed office. In response to Trump’s claims, Chandler Hall addressed the findings of the CAP report on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal.” The report, titled “The Trump Administration’s $1.7 Billion National Guard Deployments Fail To Reduce Urban Crime,” analyzed data from multiple cities and found no evidence that the National Guard deployments had influenced violent crime rates. Hall emphasized that violent crime and homicides had already begun to decrease prior to the National Guard’s deployment, noting that the trend predated the Trump administration. He argued that the president's insistence on attributing the decline in crime to the National Guard deployments was misleading and potentially detrimental to ongoing local efforts to improve public safety. Hall further contended that the National Guard deployments represented a “dangerous power grab” by the Trump administration and contributed to increased unrest in cities that perceived their autonomy as being undermined. His comments followed reports indicating that crime rates have indeed fallen across the United States, with homicides decreasing by 17.2% and robberies by 16.6% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. These statistics were compiled by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), which surveyed 66 large U.S. cities. Notably, cities such as Washington, D.C., Memphis, Tennessee, and Houston showed substantial reductions in homicide rates, with D.C. experiencing a 43.9% decline in homicides from the first half of 2025. Despite these positive trends, some cities, such as Honolulu and San Diego, reported increases in homicide rates. However, the overall pattern suggests a consistent decline in violent crime across the nation, spanning both the Biden and Trump administrations. The Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) confirmed similar findings, noting an 18% drop in homicides among 30 reporting cities in the first half of 2026. This decline has occurred despite varying political leadership, policing strategies, and levels of federal involvement in different cities. The White House has seized upon the declining crime rates to bolster its narrative, claiming that President Trump has delivered on his promise to “make America safe again.” According to a White House statement, the data demonstrates that Trump’s administration has achieved a historic reduction in crime more swiftly and effectively than any previous administration. However, the debate over whether the National Guard deployments played a direct role in this decline remains contentious, with critics arguing that other factors, such as improved policing strategies and natural fluctuations in crime rates, may be responsible. As the controversy unfolds, the future of the National Guard’s presence in Washington, D.C., remains uncertain. While the administration has indicated plans to maintain a National Guard presence throughout Trump’s second term, the financial implications of this decision are considerable, with estimates projecting a cost of approximately $1.4 billion by January 2029. Meanwhile, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department has acknowledged the city’s progress in reducing crime but has attributed much of this success to existing policies and initiatives rather than the federal intervention.
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