Donald Trump’s latest comments on Washington, DC’s murder rate have kicked off another fact-check battle — and this time, the Associated Press is partly backing him up.
At a press conference, Trump told reporters that the nation’s capital now has a higher murder rate than cities like Bogotá, Colombia, and Mexico City — places many Americans associate with extreme violence.
He didn’t just say it, he brought charts to prove it, pointing to DC’s 2024 murder rate of around 27 per 100,000 people.
What the AP Agreed On — and What They Didn’t
The AP fact-check confirmed that DC does indeed have a higher homicide rate than many global cities, including some with a long-standing reputation for danger.
But the outlet stressed that Trump’s statement left out some important context.
Yes, DC’s murder rate is high — in fact, seventh in the nation for cities with over 250,000 people — but it’s still far below the levels seen in certain Mexican cities like Colima (126 per 100,000) or Tijuana (91), and Colombian cities like Santa Marta (45) and Cali (42).
Trump’s Charts and Comparisons
During his address, Trump waved charts comparing DC to cities like Baghdad, Panama City, Brasilia, San José, Lima, and Mexico City.
“So do you want to live in places like that? I don’t think so,” he told reporters, doubling down on his claims that DC is in decline.
The White House even posted a chart on X to support the claim, showing DC’s murder rate higher than Bogotá and Mexico City.
That data came from a New York Post article, which itself cited a February 2025 report from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Where the Numbers Really Stand
According to that RIT report, DC’s 2024 murder rate was 27.54 per 100,000 — slightly above the FBI’s tally of about 25.
While undeniably high, the AP pointed out that the city’s murder count in 2023, at 274 homicides, was the worst in 20 years but nowhere near historic highs from the 1970s through the 1990s.
Trump had claimed 2023’s rate was “probably ever” the highest, or at least in 25 years — but the AP fact-check flagged that as inaccurate.
Disputes Over Crime Causes
Trump also blamed DC’s crime problems on cashless bail, but AP noted there’s no available data to prove that’s the case.
And according to the city’s own police statistics, violent crime has actually fallen since its post-pandemic peak in 2023.
Still, the city has battled stubborn issues like shoplifting and assaults on government workers, problems that have persisted even as murder numbers dipped.
Federal Takeover of DC Police
All of this came just hours after Trump announced he was taking direct control of DC’s police force under section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act.
That law allows a president to federalize the city’s police during emergencies — and Trump declared Monday as DC’s “Liberation Day.”
It’s not the first time he’s done something like this.
Last year, he sent federal officers to Los Angeles after immigration enforcement protests — a move that sparked a lawsuit from California Governor Gavin Newsom, now heading to trial this week.