BLACK mobile logo

district of columbia

politics

Trump a Beneficiary of Cash Bail System He Now Wants to Destroy

August 26, 2025

President Trump has signed an executive order threatening to withhold federal funding from jurisdictions with cashless bail policies, while also directing Washington D.C. defendants to be charged under federal statutes to circumvent the city's bail reforms. Critics highlight the contradiction between Trump's actions and his own recent legal situation, where he remained free after being convicted on 34 felony counts, benefiting from the same cash bail system that typically allows wealthy defendants to avoid pretrial detention. Data shows that over 60% of pretrial detainees are jailed solely because they cannot afford bail, with this burden falling disproportionately on Black and Latino communities.

Who is affected

  • Poor defendants who cannot afford cash bail
  • Black and Latino communities who are disproportionately impacted by cash bail systems
  • States and cities with cashless bail policies that could lose federal funding
  • Washington D.C. defendants who may now face federal charges instead of going through the local system
  • Jurisdictions like Illinois that have implemented bail reforms

What action is being taken

  • President Trump is signing executive orders threatening to strip federal funding from jurisdictions with cashless bail policies
  • The administration is directing Washington D.C. defendants to be charged under federal statutes to bypass local bail reforms
  • The administration is implementing policies requiring "commonsense policies that protect Americans' safety" by incarcerating those deemed threats
  • Trump is publicly campaigning against cashless bail reforms with claims about public safety

Why it matters

  • The orders create a stark contradiction between Trump's personal experience with the justice system and the policies he's implementing
  • Over 60% of pretrial detainees are jailed only because they cannot afford bail
  • The burden of cash bail falls disproportionately on Black and Latino communities
  • The executive orders could reverse bail reform efforts in multiple jurisdictions
  • Facts contradict Trump's claims about bail reform, as states like Illinois have seen decreases in violent crime after implementing cashless bail

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The Washington Informer