Dan Bongino, the former Deputy Director of the FBI, has claimed that many mainstream media outlets are minimizing the significant reduction in violent crime during the Trump administration. He noted that the FBI has ramped up arrests of violent offenders, seized unprecedented amounts of illegal drugs, and captured various fugitives from the Most Wanted list—efforts he feels are not getting the credit they deserve.
Bongino stated, “The murder rate is the lowest it’s been since 1900.” He believes that there’s virtually no modern precedent for such a decline.
Earlier this month, Bongino resigned from the FBI, saying that his role was meant to last about a year to reorganize priorities within the department.
On the same day, a report from the Criminal Justice Council revealed that in 40 major cities, 11 out of 13 crime categories are projected to have decreased in 2025 compared to the previous year. The report also indicated that overall violent crime has reached its lowest level since 2019.
Referring to historical data, the report indicated that future national statistics from the FBI might show the lowest homicide rates on record for 2025.
Bongino criticized outlets like Axios and the New York Times for acknowledging the drop in crime but not sufficiently attributing it to the Trump administration. He pointed out that Axios recognized the low murder rates yet offered “excuses” for not giving credit where he believes it’s due.
“There are plenty of excuses as to why President Trump and his administration didn’t do it. I experienced it firsthand; I know what we accomplished,” said Bongino.
In a recent Axios piece, it was pointed out that violent crime and homicides are decreasing. However, it also mentioned that crime rates had already fallen to a two-decade low in the last year of the Biden administration, raising questions about the effectiveness of Trump’s policies.
Bongino didn’t hold back when he criticized a New York Times headline regarding FBI Director Kash Patel’s statements about current and former employees contributing to national insecurity.
He expressed frustration, asking, “Does this guy even read his own headlines?” adding, “I’m just tired of this nonsense.” Bongino dismissed criticism from the media, labeling those commentators as individuals who have never experienced the challenges faced by law enforcement.
