Trump Claims Credit as FBI Reports Sharp Drop in Violent Crime That Began Before His Second Presidency

President Donald Trump brought his law-and-order message to Long Island on Friday, pointing to new FBI numbers showing violent crime fell sharply across the United States while crediting his administration for making Americans safer.

Rows of uniformed officers provided the backdrop at the Nassau County Police Academy in Garden City as Trump promoted the 2025 numbers and argued that tougher federal enforcement helped drive them downward. Reuters reported that his appearance came with Republicans trying to make crime a defining issue heading toward the November midterms.

FBI estimates show violent crime fell 9.3% from 2024 to 2025, the largest one-year decrease recorded since 1937. Murder and non-negligent manslaughter dropped 18.1%, robbery 18.5%, rape 7.6% and aggravated assault 7.2%.

Those numbers extend a decline that started before Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Homicides had already fallen sharply during 2023 and 2024, reaching pre-pandemic levels before the start of his second term.

Trump nevertheless tied the newest numbers to his approach on policing, immigration and federal enforcement. He told the audience that federal authorities had arrested 1.2 million people during his second term and said FBI arrests involving violent offenses had nearly doubled.

Attorney General Todd Blanche joined Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel at the event. Blanche credited the administration’s treatment of police, telling the audience that lower crime comes when the country stands behind officers “every step of the way.”

Researchers have been more cautious about assigning credit for the nationwide decline. Falling crime has appeared in large and small cities with different political leadership, police staffing and enforcement methods, leaving researchers without a single explanation for the change.

Washington became one of Trump’s most visible tests of federal intervention when he sent federal agents and National Guard troops into the capital in 2025. The president has repeatedly pointed to falling crime there while arguing that federal intervention helped reduce crime in the capital.

Friday’s appearance stretched beyond FBI numbers as Trump attacked Democratic officeholders and promoted Republican candidates, including Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. The police-academy setting became both a public-safety speech and a campaign stop with November approaching.

American voters are now hearing two competing stories about the same set of numbers: Trump says his policies helped drive crime downward, while researchers note that the decline was already underway before he returned to office. FBI estimates show violent crime across the United States fell 9.3% between 2024 and 2025.