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The Violence Trump Claims to Fear Occurs Mostly in Red States

September 11, 2025

Donald Trump consistently criticizes cities with large minority populations as dangerous despite crime reduction in many areas, most notably Washington, D.C., which recorded the nation's highest murder rate in 2023 at 39 per 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, several Republican-led states including Louisiana, New Mexico, Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas have murder rates exceeding 9 per 100,000 residents, yet receive little criticism from Trump. This pattern suggests a political strategy of targeting urban areas with significant Black and Latino populations while ignoring similar or worse crime statistics in Republican strongholds.

Who is affected

  • Washington, D.C. residents, particularly minorities
  • Residents of cities with large Black and Latino populations that Trump criticizes
  • Washingtonians denied full congressional representation
  • Citizens in Republican-led states with high murder rates (Louisiana, New Mexico, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, South Carolina, Alaska, Georgia, and Mississippi)
  • Residents of cities like New Orleans, Baton Rouge, St. Louis, and Kansas City

What action is being taken

  • National Guard and federal troops are visibly stationed throughout Washington, D.C.
  • Local efforts to address violence are underway in Washington, D.C.
  • Trump continues to attack and criticize cities and jurisdictions with large minority populations

Why it matters

  • Trump's rhetoric creates a misleading narrative about crime in America by focusing on minority-populated areas while ignoring higher crime rates in Republican-led states
  • Washington, D.C. residents face both high crime rates and being used as political pawns
  • The data reveals a disconnect between political rhetoric and statistical reality regarding crime across different states
  • The capital of the United States now resembles "an occupied third-world country" according to the article
  • The pattern suggests racial and political motivations behind which crime problems receive national attention

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint

The Violence Trump Claims to Fear Occurs Mostly in Red States