CNN Fact-Checker Exposes 'A Lot Of Deception' From Trump On D.C. Crime Rate

Daniel Dale tackled the litany of false claims President Donald Trump made on Monday while announcing Washington, D.C., is coming under federal control.

President Donald Trump announced during a press conference Monday that he’s deploying 800 National Guard troops to combat Washington, D.C.’s purportedly skyrocketing crime — a false premise that CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale easily debunked on “Inside Politics.”

“There was a lot of deception from the president there,” Dale told host Dana Bash.

Trump spoke and took questions Monday for over an hour, and claimed during his press conference that D.C.’s murder rate in 2023 had “reached the highest rate probably ever.” Dale acknowledged the inherent tragedy in violent crimes during his CNN appearance.

“But contrary to what the president said today, even in 2023, D.C. did not have an all-time high in murder,” he said. “It was way worse during the crack crisis of the ’80s and early ’90s. ... [He] was just flat wrong when he said it’s getting worse now and not getting better.”

Dale noted that violent crime, including murder, has only continued to drop: “It fell in 2024, it’s fallen further in 2025.” D.C.’s police force, which Trump announced will be taken over by the federal government, noted as much itself in a year-to-date comparison released Friday.