Fact-Check: VP Vance’s D.C. vs. Trinidad Crime Claims

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance recently claimed that there’s been a significant decrease in crime in Washington, D.C. since federal intervention, including a 35% drop in violent crime and a more than 50% drop in robberies. He also stated that D.C.’s crime rate is higher than that of Trinidad and Tobago. However, a review of the data found these statements to be a blend of fact, overstatement, and outright incorrectness. While violent crime did fall by 35% in 2024, this was before the 2025 federal takeover. Robberies did not decrease by more than 50% according to official statistics. Furthermore, contrary to Vance’s claim, Trinidad and Tobago’s homicide rate is nearly double that of D.C.’s. The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 3 advisory for Trinidad and Tobago due to serious risks from crime and terrorism. While D.C. has seen substantial reductions in crime since 2023, these decreases cannot be attributed solely to federal intervention, and they are not as dramatic as Vance’s claims suggest.