From Chaos to Control: The Trump Crime Crackdown Already Working in D.C.

What's Happening in Washington Will Be the Model for Every Blue City Since President Trump took charge, the nation's capital is already changing, shopkeepers are standing taller, criminals are on notice, and Attorney General Pam

Bondi is proving that law and order can be restored where weak liberal leadership failed.

Since President Trump took over, in a matter of days things have already changed in Washington, D.C. Let's be honest, before Trump stepped in, our nation's capital had become more dangerous than ever. Each trip I made in recent years was worse than the last. Streets once filled with tourists and school groups became littered with graffiti, boarded-up storefronts, aggressive panhandlers at every corner, and trash blowing down the sidewalks of what should be the shining capital of the free world.

This trip a mere day after President Trump made his historic decision. I saw something different. The problems aren't gone, side streets still reek of marijuana, graffiti still scars the walls of historic buildings, and homeless encampments remain. But there is finally a sense that somebody is in charge. Shopkeepers who used to glance nervously at the door now say they feel like they've got backup. One told me, "For the first time in years, I don't feel like I'm on my own." That shift in attitude is real, and it comes directly from President Trump's decisive leadership.

Last week's press conferences made it official. First, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro stood in front of the media and demolished their phony "crime is down" narrative. Holding up posters of victims, she said what every parent of every victim has been thinking: "It's never enough... You tell the mother of the intern who was shot... 'Oh, crime is down.'"

She gave the press the reality check they desperately needed, no spin, no excuses. Then Attorney General Pam Bondi delivered the knockout blow. Bondi announced that the days of sanctuary lawlessness in Washington are over. She stripped the D.C. police chief of her authority, appointed DEA Administrator Terry Cole as Emergency Police Commissioner, and rescinded every so-called sanctuary protection. "D.C. will not remain a sanctuary city," Bondi declared. In a matter of days, 150 arrests were made, 60 undocumented suspects taken off the streets, and 27 illegal firearms seized. Local officials who looked the other way are now sidelined, and federal leadership is back in control.

President Trump has also unleashed Tom Homan to do what he does best, deport the criminal illegal aliens that Biden's open borders allowed to flood into our cities. These predators, gang members, and repeat offenders are finally being removed, one by one, from the neighborhoods they terrorized.

And it's not just Washington. In California, when ICE agents were physically attacked during lawful arrests, President Trump immediately called out the National Guard. Think about that, federal agents attacked on American soil. The radicals thought they could intimidate law enforcement. Instead, they got the strongest message possible, this administration will never allow our agents to be targeted or our laws ignored.

Here's the bottom line: parts of D.C. today were more dangerous than Mexico City, a metropolis of 22 million people in one of the most crime-challenged countries on Earth. But there's a difference. In Mexico City, the cartels don't tolerate street crime that interferes with their business. In D.C., local leaders tolerated, even excused, the kind of street crime that terrifies law-abiding citizens. In Mexico City you can walk through central neighborhoods at night. In D.C., you could not even pump gas in broad daylight without looking over your shoulder.

Jeanine Pirro's press conference and Pam Bondi's crackdown weren't just headlines, they were turning points. They signaled the end of coddling criminals and the beginning of putting victims first. And as President Trump said just last week, "When Washington is safe, America will be safe, because what we do here will be the model for every blue city in the country."

Attorney General Pam Bondi delivered the knockout blow. Bondi announced that the days of sanctuary lawlessness in Washington are over. She stripped the D.C. police chief of her authority, appointed DEA Administrator Terry Cole as Emergency Police Commissioner, and rescinded every so-called sanctuary protection. "D.C. will not remain a sanctuary city," Bondi declared. In a matter of days, 150 arrests were made, 60 undocumented suspects taken off the streets, and 27 illegal firearms seized. Local officers told me privately they've never felt this kind of support from Washington leadership. Bondi has their back, and they know it. She is proving that tough, decisive leadership doesn't just make headlines - it saves lives

Make no mistake, this is the model. Pam Bondi is showing every failed liberal mayor in America what leadership looks like. You don't appease crime, you crush it. You don't ignore the victims, you stand with them. It means telling the mother of the intern murdered in D.C., the shop owner beaten in Los Angeles, the family shattered by fentanyl in San Francisco, and the ICE agent ambushed in California, you are not forgotten, and your government is finally fighting for you.

The cleanup in California has just begun. The transformation of Washington is still underway. But already, in just days, the difference is visible, shopkeepers standing taller, families walking with a little more confidence, and the swamp finally on notice. If Washington, D.C., once more dangerous than Mexico City, can be turned around, then no city in America is beyond saving. That is the Trump promise. That is the Bondi guarantee. And it means every law-abiding American, including every proud Alabamian, will one day be able to walk their streets without fear again.

Perry O, Hooper Jr. is a former state Representative, a current member of the Alabama Republican Executive Committee, and the 2016 Trump Victory Chair. His political columns are widely published, including in the Alabama Gazette.

Opinions expressed are those of the writer alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Alabama Gazette or staff.