Trump's presidency stirs concerns about personal safety among Washington D.C. residents, according to a recent survey
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A new poll by The Washington Post-Schar School has revealed that the majority of Washington, DC residents oppose President Donald Trump's order to take control of the city's police department. The poll, conducted August 14-17 and surveyed 604 DC residents, found that 79% of DC residents oppose Trump's order, with just 17% in support.
The poll did not provide specific details about the increased deployment of the National Guard and FBI to patrol the city. However, it did find that DC residents' opinions on Trump's takeover of the city's police department and its impact on safety are mixed and largely critical.
The poll results reflect concerns about the federal intervention's necessity, legality, and effects. Crime data does not support the claimed emergency that justified the intervention, leading to skepticism about the takeover’s necessity. On the ground, the visible impact has been more immigration enforcement and heavy federal presence than significant improvements in neighborhood safety.
Trump took direct federal control over the DC Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard alongside federal agents, justifying these actions as necessary to restore order amid “out-of-control” violent crime. However, local statistics indicate that violent crime was actually on a downward trend since a 2023 peak, contradicting the White House's claimed emergency.
The federal takeover has sparked a local-federal power struggle and legal challenges, reflecting deep division over control of DC policing. Critics, including the ACLU of DC, describe the federal takeover as a "brazen abuse of power" that instills fear and undermines local autonomy without clear public safety benefits.
President Donald Trump has stated that his actions have made Washington, DC, safe, but this statement goes against the narrative of the majority of DC residents. Trump's overall job approval rating among all DC residents is 15%.
The poll did not provide information about the political affiliations of the residents surveyed. However, it did find that support for Trump's actions among DC residents who are recent crime victims stands at 34%, compared with 8% among those who do not know a recent crime victim.
Majorities of DC residents believe that increased economic opportunities in poor neighborhoods, stricter national gun laws, an increased number of Metropolitan Police officers patrolling communities, and using outreach workers to resolve disputes would help to reduce violent crime. The poll did not provide information about the current level of violent crime in Washington, DC.
Mayor Muriel Bowser's rating stands at 53%. About half of DC residents say Mayor Bowser should be doing more to oppose Trump. More than half of the residents in the capital city have noticed the increased federal presence, and 61% of those people feel less safe as a result of Trump's actions.
A 71% majority of DC residents say DC police should not help the federal government much or at all to deport undocumented immigrants living in the city. The figures from the poll go against the narrative Trump and other top administration officials have touted about the impact of the federal takeover. Local police officers have been seen participating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement checkpoints over the past week.
Despite the concerns and criticisms, 54% of DC residents believe the problem of crime in the city is improving (up from 29%). However, 31% of DC residents now describe crime as an extremely or very serious problem in the District (down from 50%).
In summary, while the White House presents the takeover as restoring law and order, substantial portions of DC residents and civil rights groups perceive it as an unwarranted and politically motivated intervention with uneven and potentially harmful consequences for local safety and community trust.
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