Six days after declaring the crime crisis in Washington, D.C., was “nonexistent,” The New York Times’ Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker is complaining that President Donald Trump isn’t fixing crime in Washington, D.C.
On Aug. 11, Trump announced his administration would be taking back control of the nation’s capital after decades of government failure. Trump invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, which gives his administration authority to take control of the city’s police department. Trump also declared a pubic safety emergency in the nation’s capital and instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deploy the D.C. National Guard to help aid in crime-fighting.
Propagandists like Baker sprang into action to decry the move as unnecessary.
“Citing a nonexistent crime crisis, Trump plans to take over the Washington DC police and put troops in the streets of the nation’s capital. Contrary to his claims, violent crime in DC is at a 30-year low,” Baker posted on X on Aug. 11.
Of course Baker’s narrative collapses under the weight of the facts. Data shows the nation’s capital is plagued with violent crime, with more than 1,600 violent crimes reported in 2025 thus far and roughly 16,000 total crimes. According to the White House, carjackings are more than three times the national average, with White House Policy Communications Director Jacki Kotkiewicz noting a 547 percent increase in carjackings between 2018 and 2023.
To make matters worse, allegations of officials cooking the books on crime statistics have been plaguing the city.
D.C. Police Union Chairman Gregg Pemberton told NBC Washington last month that when its “members respond to the scene of a felony offense where there is a victim reporting that a felony occurred, inevitably there will be a lieutenant or a captain that will show up on that scene and direct those members to take a report for a lesser offense.”
“So, instead of taking a report for a shooting or a stabbing or a carjacking, they will order that officer to take a report for a theft or an injured person to the hospital or a felony assault, which is not the same type of classification,” Pemberton continued.
Notably, Metro Police Department Commander Michael Pulliam was suspended in May for “allegedly changing crime statistics in his district,” as Fox News reported. Pulliam is currently under investigation for allegedly altering crime statistics.
The facts themselves were so glaring that Baker later admitted that crime is in fact real — before trying to blame Trump (who is trying to curb the epidemic).
“The [Washington Post] tracked where Trump’s forces are patrolling in Washington. Spoiler alert: They’re not where the crime is,” Baker posted to X.
Baker went from claiming D.C. crime was “nonexistent” to then scolding Trump for not doing enough to fix it. By denying the reality of the problem when Trump points it out and then attempting to weaponize the problem against him when it becomes undeniable, Baker reveals he (and most of the press) are merely propagandists for whatever the Democrat narrative is.
Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2
