Major cities report sharp crime drop as Trump claims credit

The Major Cities Chiefs Association released its year-end crime report showing a sharp drop in violence across the country, bolstering the idea that the nation is experiencing a steep recession in killings and muggings after crime exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The MCCA, which surveyed 67 of the country’s largest police departments, showed homicides fell 19%, rapes 9%, robberies 20% and aggravated assaults 10% from 2024 to 2025.

Some of the nation’s largest cities, such as New York, Los Angeles and Houston, reported no increases across the four types of crimes listed in the survey.

Chicago saw a modest increase in rapes, the survey found, while Philadelphia witnessed a more noticeable rise in rapes and aggravated assaults.

But cities often dogged by crime-ridden reputations, including Baltimore, the District of Columbia, Memphis and St. Louis, said they had uniform decreases in violent crime. 

The District and Memphis have both benefited from ongoing federal law enforcement operations that helped drive down shootings and killings.

The White House celebrated the survey’s findings in a Wednesday press release and took the opportunity to bash Democrats amid improving crime numbers.  

“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 statement said.

The Trump administration also touted the findings of a separate analysis that said 2025 may turn out to be one of the least violent years in more than a century.

The Council on Criminal Justice said there was a 21% drop in homicides among the nation’s 40 most populous cities last year, according to its study released in January.

The organization said when the FBI releases its annual report on crime trends later this year, there’s a good chance that 2025’s nationwide homicide rate may be at 4 per 100,000 residents.

That would be the lowest documented murder rate since 1900.