ABC Anchor Admits Truth As Trump’s DC Crackdown Yields Big Results
President Donald Trump’s decisive move to federalize Washington, D.C., after declaring a “crime emergency” is already producing results — and even the media is starting to admit the truth.
ABC News anchor Kyra Phillips revealed during a broadcast that she herself had been a victim of crime just blocks from the network’s bureau in downtown D.C., underscoring the harsh reality that many residents have long faced.
“It was within the last two years that I actually was jumped walking just two blocks down from here,” Phillips said. She added that one of her colleagues had her car stolen a block away, while two more employees had been victims of shootings near the studio. “So we can talk about the numbers going down, but crime is happening every single day because we’re all experiencing it firsthand while working and living down here,” she admitted.
Crime Down Under Trump’s Leadership — But Skepticism Remains
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, violent crime in Washington, D.C., is reportedly down 26 percent compared to 2024. Still, crime remains an undeniable issue, with 99 homicides reported so far this year.
The numbers have been further clouded by scandal. D.C. Police Commander Michael Pulliam is currently under investigation over allegations that he manipulated crime statistics. He was suspended in July, though he denies any wrongdoing.
But while the city’s leadership faces scrutiny, Trump’s bold intervention has brought immediate change. In the first week of federal control — which included deploying federal agents and National Guard troops — property crimes dropped by nearly 20 percent, while violent crime fell 17 percent.
The breakdown showed robberies and car break-ins plunging by more than 40 percent, even as burglary cases rose slightly and assaults with a dangerous weapon increased by 14 percent.
Immigration Enforcement Surges
Alongside the crackdown on street crime, Trump’s administration has supercharged immigration enforcement in the capital. Since August 7, roughly 300 individuals in the city without legal immigration status have been arrested — more than ten times the normal weekly average.
During the first six months of President Trump’s second term, ICE averaged about 12 arrests per week in Washington. That number has now spiked dramatically as federal officers embed with local police, assisting in searches, warrants, and direct enforcement actions.
White House Response
When asked about CNN’s framing of the results as “modest,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson pushed back hard.
“The drops in crime are not ‘moderate,’ they are life-changing for the countless of DC residents and visitors who have not been murdered, robbed, carjacked, or victims of overall violent crime in the last week,” Jackson said. “The priority of this operation remains getting violent criminals off the streets — regardless of immigration status.”
Trump’s critics may bristle, but the undeniable truth is that his tough-on-crime policies are resonating where D.C. leadership has failed for years: keeping America’s capital safe.