'Ecstatic': Trump declares DC as 'crime free zone'

US President Donald Trump has stated that Washington, D.C., is now almost a crime-free city after his administration intervened in the capital earlier this month.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump

said, "DC is virtually, in just 14 days, a CRIME FREE ZONE. The people living and working there are ecstatic!"

DC is virtually, in just 14 days, a CRIME FREE ZONE. The people living and working there are ecstatic!!! President DJT

(TS: 30 Aug 18:27 ET)​​​‍​​‌‍​​‌‍​​​​​​‌‍​​‌‍​​​‌‍​‌‍​‌‍​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​‌‍​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​‌‍​​‌‍

— Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) August 30, 2025

However, critics have raised doubts about his claims. The Washington Post pointed out that while the city recently had a 12-day period without a homicide, such stretches are not unusual. CNN commentators compared Trump’s statement to authoritarian rhetoric, with one anchor noting that North Korea also claims to be murder-free.

Trump sent hundreds of National Guard members to Washington's streets

this month, declaring a crime emergency and announcing a temporary federal takeover of the city's police department.

The president has characterized the nation's capital as a city overwhelmed by crime, even though Justice Department data shows violent crime reached a 30-year low last year in Washington, which is a self-governing federal district under Congress's authority.

The U.S. government also sent agents from various agencies, including the FBI, to patrol the capital's streets.