Hillary Clinton took to social media Monday to call President Donald Trump “unhinged” for moving to federalize Washington, D.C.’s police department — and found herself immediately buried under a wave of backlash.
Clinton posted on X that “violent crime in DC is at a 30-year low,” linking to a January Justice Department press release in a bid to downplay Trump’s announcement that he was invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to take direct control of the city’s police force and deploy the National Guard.
As you listen to an unhinged Trump try to justify deploying the National Guard in DC, here's reality:
Violent crime in DC is at a 30-year low.https://t.co/aa33NmPBbN pic.twitter.com/zicp8uauLf
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 11, 2025
Conservatives didn’t let it slide. White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson responded bluntly, reminding Clinton of her own political baggage and accusing her of lying about D.C.’s safety. “On top of being a big-time loser, you’re also a massive liar,” Jackson wrote, linking to reports that a D.C. police commander had been suspended for allegedly altering crime data. Others suggested Clinton should prove her confidence in the city’s safety by moving to its most dangerous neighborhoods.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries repeated Clinton’s “30-year low” talking point almost verbatim — and got the same treatment online. Republicans and conservative commentators flooded social media with recent crime headlines from the capital, pointing to murders, carjackings, and assaults that contradict the city’s official narrative.
https://t.co/EqFb1xVc1a pic.twitter.com/gmGK7gSTUE
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) August 11, 2025
Critics also noted that murder — the most consistently tracked violent crime — surged 83% between 2012 and 2024, and that the FBI itself warns against simplistic year-to-year comparisons of crime data due to changes in reporting practices.
Trump, for his part, dismissed the “crime is down” claim as statistical manipulation. At his press conference, he rattled off homicide rates showing D.C. topping the charts not just in the United States, but globally — surpassing cities like Bogota, Mexico City, and even Baghdad. “This is Liberation Day in D.C.,” Trump declared. “We’re taking our capital back.”
JUST IN: MSNBC contributor Eddie Glaude is on the verge of having a meltdown after Trump placed DC police under federal control, claims Trump is only doing this to distract from Epstein.
"I'm trying to hold my temper."
"I think there's an ongoing argument that he's having in… pic.twitter.com/W0PafwiqpV
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 11, 2025
The president’s move comes after years of escalating violence in the nation’s capital, including a surge in juvenile crime, brazen daylight shootings, fatal carjackings, and the killing of 21-year-old congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym earlier this summer. While D.C. leaders insist the situation is improving, Trump says the numbers — at least the honest ones — tell a different story.
