It is hitting record lows.
The White House credited President Donald Trump’s tough-on-crime policies for a significant drop in the murder rate this year, reporting a 20% decline so far. Crime analyst Jeff Asher examined data from the nation’s most violent cities and confirmed a decrease in homicides compared to 2024.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Daily Signal that since Trump took office, murder rates have fallen sharply nationwide. She emphasized that Trump fulfilled his promise to make communities safer by taking a strong stance on crime, supporting law enforcement, and ensuring violent offenders face strict legal consequences.
As of early May, cities like Baltimore, St. Louis, Cleveland, Denver, New Orleans, New York, and Chicago all reported double-digit drops in murders, with Denver seeing the most dramatic decrease of 63%. Philadelphia recorded 88 homicides by May 22, 2025, which matches the lowest count for that time of year in recent history and is well below the 201 murders recorded by the same date in 2021. The overall national murder rate has also declined from the spike seen in 2020, returning to levels last seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asher noted on his Substack that if this downward trend continues through the fall, the U.S. could experience its lowest annual murder rate on record, possibly surpassing the previous low set in 2014.
President Trump has also taken executive actions to address crime, including reinstating the death penalty, enhancing law enforcement in Washington, D.C., and empowering local police to more aggressively pursue criminals. Additionally, he has prioritized efforts to remove criminal illegal immigrants and gang members from communities to further improve public safety.
