Violent Crime Collapses in Major U.S. Cities During President Trump’s First Year Back in Office
Violent crime has fallen dramatically across America’s largest cities in 2025, underscoring what supporters say is the early success of President Donald J. Trump’s renewed focus on law and order in his second term.
After campaigning on restoring public safety following years of rising crime under former President Joe Biden, President Trump returned to office promising a decisive break from what many critics described as failed “soft-on-crime” policies. Fresh data now suggest that the shift in approach is producing measurable results.
According to newly released figures, every major category of violent crime recorded substantial declines compared to 2024. Robberies dropped by roughly 20 percent, aggravated assaults fell nearly 10 percent, and murders declined by 19 percent nationwide across major urban centers.
The White House celebrated the figures as evidence of what it called a historic turnaround.
“These gains build on earlier reports showing America’s cities are now safer than they’ve been in over a century under President Trump’s leadership. The murder rate in the nation’s biggest cities has fallen to its lowest level in at least 125 years — marking the largest single-year drop in recorded history. Beyond murders, the nation also saw dramatic reductions in rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, shooting deaths (fewest since 2015), on-duty law enforcement officer deaths (80-year low), traffic fatalities, and overdose deaths,” the post noted.
It added, “This is the direct result of President Trump’s aggressive, no-nonsense approach to public safety. By surging federal resources to Democrat-run cities that had devolved into war zones, removing savage criminal illegals from our streets, supporting police and prosecutors, and rejecting the Radical Left’s weakness, President Trump’s decisive actions have turned the tide, saved countless lives, and restored peace to communities long abandoned by Democrat politicians who prioritized criminals over citizens.”
The numbers come from the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), which compiled crime statistics from 67 of the nation’s largest police departments. The 2025 report shows across-the-board decreases in major violent crime categories compared to 2024:
– Homicides fell 19 percent.
– Robberies declined approximately 20 percent.
– Aggravated assaults dropped nearly 10 percent.
An Axios review of the MCCA data found some of the steepest homicide reductions occurred in Southern and Sun Belt cities—areas that had previously experienced sharp pandemic-era crime spikes.
– Orlando and Tampa led the nation, each reporting more than a 50 percent decline in homicides.
– Western cities including Denver, Seattle, Honolulu, and Albuquerque also saw substantial improvements.
– Many of these cities were hit hardest during the 2020–2022 crime surge and are now experiencing some of the fastest reversals.
Chicago and Baltimore both posted homicide reductions of roughly 30 percent, while Memphis and Portland saw declines of about 25 percent. Analysts note that these cities had previously symbolized the national crime crisis; their turnaround now reflects a broader shift in enforcement strategy and cooperation with federal authorities.
“After record high crime across the country under Biden’s defund the police era, the murder rate has plunged to a 125-year low as crime falls across the board, according to new data,” the White House said.
Administration officials have credited targeted federal intervention in high-crime jurisdictions, including the deployment of additional resources to Washington, D.C., for contributing to the capital’s crime reductions.
At the federal level, FBI Director Kash Patel pointed to what he described as a transformation within the bureau during his first year leading the agency. Appearing on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Patel responded to host Sean Hannity’s observation that the FBI had captured six individuals from its Ten Most Wanted list in just one year.
Patel contrasted what he described as the bureau’s prior politicization with its current focus on core law enforcement priorities.
“The simple juxtaposition is that there was a weaponized bureau, a politicized bureau to go after political targets including President Trump and myself, versus the bureau of today that goes based on law and facts and works with our prosecutors,” Patel said.
He added that approximately 1,000 additional agents have been deployed into the field to concentrate on violent crime and fugitive apprehension.
“These agents are working around the clock and around the world to bring justice,” Patel said.
“That is why you see these record numbers. Six top 10 captures in one year, which has never been done before, and we’re just getting started,” he added.
For supporters of President Trump’s second-term agenda, the data serve as confirmation that a return to constitutional policing, strong prosecution, and firm immigration enforcement is reversing the chaos that defined the early 2020s. Whether the downward trend continues will likely shape the broader national debate over public safety—and the legacy of the administration’s law-and-order revival.