Dan Bongino, former FBI Deputy Director, expressed his disdain towards two corporate media outlets on Thursday night, criticizing their coverage of the Trump administration’s approach to violent crime.
According to projections for 2025, the average murder rate in around 30 major U.S. cities is expected to drop by 21%, marking the largest single-year decline on record, as reported by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ). Bongino shared a sneak peek of his upcoming podcast, set to return on February 2nd.
“Those in the media often seem clueless,” Bongino commented. “My daughter, who just hit 14, hasn’t changed a diaper in ages, but that’s kind of what the media reminds me of.” He went on, “I stumbled on a couple of stories that had me chuckling just today, and the timing was rather amusing.”
Bongino noted that “Axios has a headline boasting that the murder rate is the lowest since the 1900s.” He remarked, “At first, I thought, ‘Okay, I get it.’ But then, as I read further, it felt like there were so many excuses laid out for why Trump and his administration shouldn’t get credit. Meanwhile, we lived through that time and know exactly what happened.”
On January 20, 2025, shortly after his inauguration, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Justice Department to pursue the death penalty more stringently. Additionally, on August 11, federal authorities took control of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department to address rising crime, following a serious injury to an Office of Efficiency employee known informally as “Big Balls” while trying to intervene in a carjacking.
“On the same day, I came across a headline in the New York Times accusing Kash Patel’s FBI of making America less safe. Is he even aware of his own headlines?” Bongino questioned. “It’s baffling. These media figures have never served as officers, never kicked in doors, and haven’t dealt with criminals firsthand. They really don’t understand the security dynamics at play here.”
The CCJ report revealed that in 2025, there were declines in various crime categories compared to 2024, including aggravated assaults (down 9%) and robberies (down 23%). However, drug-related crimes saw a 7% increase—the only category on the rise.
“It’s simple to grasp… The murder rate is at an unprecedented low, yet the country feels unsafe. Are they even listening to themselves? It’s utterly ridiculous,” Bongino remarked. “The narrative from the media would have you believe last year was the end of the world.”
Bongino pointed out that illegal border crossings are nearly nonexistent, inflation is stabilizing, GDP growth is expected to soar, and homicide and violent crime rates are also hitting record lows. “What do these people even see? Are they really oblivious to these significant positives?” he added.
