D.C. Violent Crime Rises as Trump Keeps National Guard Deployment in Place
Washington, D.C.’s latest crime data shows a mixed public safety picture one year after President Donald Trump sent the National Guard into the capital.
MPD’s year-to-date numbers as of Aug. 11 show total violent crime up 3 percent compared with the same point in 2025, rising from 1,608 to 1,660 incidents. The increase is driven mainly by assault with a dangerous weapon, which is up 40 percent. Homicides are down 32 percent, robberies are down 15 percent and total crime is down 20 percent, according to preliminary MPD data.
That creates a sharper political problem for the White House than a simple up-or-down crime headline. The administration has repeatedly framed the National Guard deployment as a public safety success. But the latest figures show that while several major categories are falling, violent crime overall is not lower year to date.
The deployment began in August 2025 as part of a federal law enforcement surge. AP reported that more than 4,600 military personnel from D.C. and 24 states and territories were still deployed as of Aug. 4, with troops supporting arrest operations while also appearing in tourist-heavy areas and neighborhoods where violent crime is rare.
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The policy stakes are also financial. AP reported that extending the Guard mission into 2029 would cost about $1.4 billion, based on a Defense Department estimate provided to Congress.
The White House says Trump has transformed D.C. into a safer city. Critics argue the data does not prove the Guard caused crime declines, especially because D.C. crime was already falling before the federal surge.
Online reaction has focused less on whether crime matters and more on whether the Guard is being used effectively. D.C. Reddit users questioned the scale of the deployment and whether troops are positioned in areas where violent crime is most common.
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