Polls Show It Plays Into Voters’ Concerns—Putting Democrats In Precarious Position

Topline

Americans view crime as a persistent problem in major U.S. cities, but are largely split on President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown in Washington, D.C., and threats to replicate the efforts elsewhere, polls show—even as crime has decreased nationally this year—forcing Democrats to walk a fine line in criticizing Trump’s efforts without dismissing voters’ concerns.

President Donald Trump attends a cabinet meeting with members of his administration in the Cabinet Room of the White House on August 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

An Associated Press-NORC poll of U.S. adults released Wednesday found 81% of Americans view crime as a “major problem” in large cities, while more than half of respondents said they approve of Trump’s handling of crime—higher than his approval rating on immigration and the economy.

Six of the seven major violent crimes—homicide, aggravated assault, gun assault, sexual assault, robbery and carjacking—were down in the first half of 2025, compared to the first half of 2024, according to the Council on Criminal Justice’s survey of crime data from 42 American cities (domestic violence was the only major violent crime up this year).

Five of six property crimes the survey measured—residential burglary, nonresidential burglary, larceny, shoplifting and motor vehicle theft—were also down (drug offenses increased one percentage point), following a sharp uptick in big city homicides, aggravated assaults and other violent crimes during the pandemic.

Polls show respondents are divided on Trump’s crime crackdown: the AP-NORC poll found 55% say it’s “completely” or “somewhat” unacceptable for the federal government to take control of local police as Trump has done in Washington, D.C., and threatened to do in other major cities.

A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released Monday found 54% of voters say Trump’s federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department and his deployment of federal troops there is justified and necessary, while a Reuters/Ipsos poll out Tuesday found just 38% support troops patrolling Washington, and a Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday shows 56% disapprove of the National Guard’s presence on Washington streets.

Sentiment surrounding Trump’s crime initiative is largely split along party lines: 51% of Republicans, 26% of independents and 15% of Democrats say it is “completely” or “somewhat” acceptable for the federal government to take control of local police departments, according to the AP-NORC survey, while 76% of Republicans, 8% of Democrats and 28% of independents support federal troops patrolling Washington in the Reuters/Ipsos survey, and approval of troops in Washington is split 86% to 5% between Republicans and Democrats in the Quinnipiac poll.

Surprising Fact

All seven major crimes are below pre-pandemic levels, while nonresidential burglary and motor vehicle theft were higher in the first half of this year compared to the first half of 2019, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.

What To Watch For

How Democrats will handle Trump’s crime crackdown. Some Democratic governors in states where Trump has claimed crime is out of control and has threatened to deploy federal troops—including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul—have highlighted stats that show crime is down. The issue forces Democrats to walk a fine line between disputing Trump’s initiative and dismissing voters’ concerns as they seek to rebuild their messaging strategy after a bruising 2024 election cycle, ahead of next year’s midterms and the 2028 presidential election where both Moore and Pritzker are considered potential candidates. Democratic strategist and host of “The Morning Meeting” podcast Dan Turrentine told Politico it’s “another issue where the Democratic Party is on a back foot.” GOP strategist Karl Rove told the magazine the president “senses that it’s a vulnerability on the part of Democrats—and it is,” adding that it deflects from the Russia-Ukraine war, as Trump struggles to negotiate a ceasefire, and the federal government’s controversial handling of the files related to its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

Crucial Quote

“This Democrat consultant, he said, ‘He’s put them in a trap again,’” Trump said Tuesday about his efforts to tamp down on crime in major cities.

Key Background

Trump announced on Aug. 11 a federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s police force under the Home Rule Act that allows him to use the Metropolitan Police Department for “federal purposes” if he determines there are “special conditions of an emergency nature.” The takeover expires in 30 days, pending an extension authorized by Congress. In addition to the initiative with Washington police, Trump deployed hundreds of National Guard troops to patrol the city. He has promised to replicate the effort in other major cities—specifically naming Baltimore, New York and Chicago as potential targets—while using increasingly incendiary rhetoric to describe crime there. Trump has also made several moves to expand the crackdown in Washington, announcing Tuesday he wants prosecutors to seek the death penalty for people convicted of murder in the city and announcing Wednesday the Transportation Department would reclaim control of Union Station and implement enhanced security measures and renovations.