Trump Vows To Undo the Biden-Harris Crime Spike

• Trump has made law and order a central campaign issue, emphasizing how Democrats go soft on crime

• Data from the Justice Department shows a 55 percent increase in violent crimes since Trump left office

• Kamala Harris’ record shows her leniency with violent criminals and devotion to a failed progressive approach to criminal justice

Where Trump stands

Donald Trump has made restoring law and order a central focus of his campaign, where he routinely emphasizes the rising crime rates. During the last ABC News debate, the moderators corrected Trump, claiming violent crime was not rising, but newly revised FBI crime data proved Trump’s statements to be true.

Further, crime statistics from the Justice Department indicate a 55 percent increase in violent crimes such as rape, robbery, and aggravated assault since Trump left office. While murder rates dropped slightly in 2023, they remain higher than in 2019.

During his presidency, Donald Trump signed into law the First Step Act, which aimed to reduce recidivism while keeping violent criminals behind bars — legislation that was backed by many black Americans and opposed by some Republicans. Trump took a gamble by pitting himself against much of his own party to pass a popular criminal justice bill.

Trump’s tenure saw the murder rate fall seven percent from 2016 to 2018, with the overall violent crime rate falling through 2019, according to the FBI data.

The Biden-Harris administration was unable to get a handle on violent crime, and it has increased in part because it allows massive illegal migration, despite the media’s insistence that there is no link between the two. Illegal migrants have committed many gruesome murders against Americans in the past few years.

In his Agenda 47, Trump promises to bring back police "stop-and-frisk" searches and intends to sign a bill sign to invest in hiring, retention, and training for law enforcement officers. He has also vowed to pursue the death penalty for drug traffickers and deploy the National Guard in cities where he says law and order have broken down.

Trump’s proposals highlight his belief that stronger enforcement is necessary to address the increase in violent crime that has disproportionately affected black and Latino communities. American voters overwhelmingly trust the Republican Party to tackle crime over the Democrats.

Trump links the rise in crime to progressive policies that he claims have weakened law enforcement and emboldened criminals. He has pledged to investigate and remove "radical leftist" prosecutors who, in his view, are failing to protect citizens.

Where Harris stands

Kamala Harris has embraced many of the soft-on-crime policies linked to rising crime, particularly in minority communities.

As San Francisco District Attorney, she implemented lenient policies, including refusing to seek the death penalty even in cases of egregious violence, such as an MS-13 gang member gunning down a police officer during a routine traffic stop. Her failure to aggressively prosecute violent offenders even drew sharp criticism from fellow California Democrats such as Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.

In her time as the attorney general of California, Harris openly defended prosecutorial misconduct, and her failure to provide exculpatory evidence led to the court’s dismissal of hundreds of cases.

She also took the drastic step of dismissing approximately 1,000 drug-related cases, many of which had already resulted in convictions and where the offenders were serving sentences.

As Vice President, Harris has only deepened her support for controversial policies. She cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Rachael Rollins as US Attorney for Massachusetts — who is known for refusing to prosecute crimes such as drug possession, shoplifting, and trespassing.

Rollins was forced to resign in disgrace after it was revealed that she leaked sensitive information to influence a local political race, attended a political fundraiser in violation of the Hatch Act, and lied to investigators.

Despite Harris trying to paint herself as a "pragmatic" prosecutor, her record is heavily ideological. Her policies have consistently favored leniency toward criminals, contributing to rising crime and making communities less safe.

Harris has also made claims that increasing the number of police officers won’t necessarily improve public safety, a core tenant of the “defund the police” movement.

Following the 2020 George Floyd riots, many communities that voted to elect progressive district attorneys promising to reduce police presence and take a lenient approach to prosecutions saw a rise in crime. Many of these communities have since reversed course, reinstating police budgets and adopting stricter measures.

Harris’ record as California AG and the policy positions she has held as vice president paint a picture of someone who prioritizes failed progressive reforms over stopping crime.

Why it matters

There is little evidence to suggest that a Harris presidency would bring about a significant crackdown on the crime surge facing the nation. Her history of defending prosecutorial misconduct and cutting lenient deals adds to the controversial nature of her record.

The contrast between Trump and Harris on the issue of crime is stark: Trump oversaw a reduction in violent crime while the Biden-Harris administration oversaw a surge — and misrepresented the data proving it.