Trump Allies Enable President’s Vindictive Crimes
Here’s a breakdown of the main points and arguments presented in the text:
Core Argument:
The author argues that Donald Trump and some Republican governors are deliberately misrepresenting crime statistics for political gain.They are focusing on Washington D.C. (despite its crime rates being historically low) while ignoring or downplaying decreasing crime rates in other cities and the fact that some cities within Republican-led states have higher crime rates than D.C.
Key Points & Evidence:
D.C. Crime Rates: FBI data shows D.C.’s crime rates have returned to historic lows after a temporary increase during the pandemic.
Hypocrisy of Governors: Republican governors sending National Guard to D.C. are ignoring higher crime rates in their own states. Bump’s infographics (based on FBI data) demonstrate this.
Trump’s Broad Threats: Trump is threatening to send the military into cities he deems “bad” (Los Angeles, Baltimore, Oakland, new York, Chicago), regardless of actual crime data.
Declining Crime in targeted Cities:
Oakland: Violent crime down 19%, homicides down 32%, robberies down 24%.
Chicago: Crime down 15% murder down 37%.
Baltimore: Violent crime down 17% since last year, and considerably since 2020, despite ”liberal” policies.
New York City: Crime rates are decreasing. Reliance on Rhetoric over Facts: The author criticizes Trump’s reliance on vague, emotionally charged language (“bad, very bad”) instead of factual data.
Broken Windows Policing: the author notes that New York City’s mayor is moving away from ”broken windows” policing, which Trump’s administration would likely criticize.
Overall tone:
The tone is highly critical of Trump and his supporters, portraying their actions as a “performance” motivated by politics rather than genuine concern for public safety. The author uses sarcasm and strong language (“performative losers,” “oratorical genius”) to emphasize their disapproval.
Sources Cited:
Popular.info article on D.C. crime rates
Philip Bump infographics on violent crime rates
Axios article on Trump’s threats to send in the military
Common Justice blog post on “broken windows” policing.