Crime in Washington, D.C., is a crisis. Six months ago, the Washington Examiner looked at some of the issues plaguing the nation’s capital. In the months since, things feel worse than ever, but that might be starting to change. In this series, we are looking at how the nation’s capital wound up with its record on crime, how it affects its standing in the world, and what can be done to turn the problem around. In part four, the Washington Examiner looked at how a local problem in the nation’s capital is having an effect on the race for the White House.

A surge in crime in Washington, D.C., has emerged as a central issue in the 2024 presidential election, becoming a focal point for both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates.

Violent crime spiked nearly 40% in the nation’s capital last year, exacerbated by armed robberies and carjackings, which were up 70% and 82% from the previous year respectively, according to Metropolitan Police Department data. And in the case of Washington, all politics that are local also happen to be national.

Biden and Democrats appear to have heard complaints about the state of their cities are are reworking their message on crime. Trump and Republicans continue to hammer “soft-on-crime” policies for the rise of violence in blue cities.

With Democratic-run cities across the country grappling with concerns about crime, Washington, the most visible city in the country, and its struggles are taking center stage.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: DC CRIME STATS IN EARLY 2024 COULD BE ON TRACK TO REBOUND AFTER DEADLY 2023

Republicans have blasted Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council for violent crime in the district. The Senate overturned local D.C. legislation for the first time in more than 30 years in May, rejecting an overhaul of the city’s criminal code.

Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump who sponsored the resolution, said the changes the D.C. Council proposed put “woke ideology over public safety.”

“No matter how hard they try, the council cannot avoid accountability for passing this disastrous, dangerous, soft-on-crime bill,” he added last year. 

Several Democrats joined Senate Republicans in sending the resolution to President Joe Biden’s desk. The president signed the bill nullifying the overhaul, breaking with progressives in his party in a symbolic move that underscores his approach to addressing crime in 2024.

Republicans portrayed the bill as offering too much leniency for offenders — such as lower maximum sentences for crimes such as carjackings, robberies, and burglaries, and nixing some mandatory minimum sentences — putting Biden at odds with the more progressive flank of his party. 

“I support D.C. Statehood and home-rule — but I don’t support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor’s objections — such as lowering penalties for carjackings,” Biden wrote on X. “If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did — I’ll sign it.”

The move in Washington was reflective of steps Democrats in cities such as San Francisco and New York have taken. The D.C. Council passed a sweeping crime package this month, made up of 12 bills that include increasing the penalties for thefts and gun crimes.

Despite responses to crime and improved figures in early 2024, Trump has repeatedly criticized Washington and its violent crime rate since he once resided there himself. Addressing a crowd of supporters at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference conference in Oxon Hill last month, Trump proposed complete federal jurisdiction over the district.

“It’s high time the federal government assumed full control and oversight of Washington, D.C.,” Trump said, adding, “I wouldn’t bother contacting the mayor.”

The former president previously used the state of the city as a reason to move his federal case charging him with attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden to West Virginia instead. 

“No way I can get a fair trial, or even close to a fair trial, in Washington, D.C.,” Trump said in a Truth Social post in August. “There are many reasons for this, but just one is that I am calling for a federal takeover of this filthy and crime ridden embarrassment to our nation.”

Every year, foreign leaders, foreign ministers, and emissaries make trips to the capital, according to the Office of the Chief of Protocol. Because Washington is the face of the nation that’s reflected back to the world, Trump argued Congress needs to restore order in the district. 

Other high-crime cities such as San Francisco are no strangers to tidying up their streets before hosting international leaders. In hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November, the city tackled the crime and homelessness crisis by launching multiple cleanup projects and beautification efforts.

Biden has taken a similar approach in Washington, directing police to clear out homeless encampments near Union Station last year before he used the historic location for a prime-time address.

Trump pleaded not guilty at his arraignment at Elijah Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C., over the summer, using the opportunity to call out the “filth and the decay” he saw in the city following his third arrest of the year. 

“It was also very sad driving through Washington, D.C., and seeing the filth and the decay and all of the broken buildings and walls and the graffiti,” Trump said on the tarmac of Reagan National Airport in Virginia. “This is not the place that I left. It’s a very sad thing to see it.”

In 2020, Trump raised eyebrows by threatening to deploy the military to states during protests in response to the death of George Floyd. The former president floated a similar message last month. 

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“I will send in the National Guard until law and order is restored. You know we’re not supposed to do that,” Trump added at the conference. 

Trump’s tough-on-crime stance appeals to voters who support tougher law enforcement and a strong stance against criminal activity across the nation. Republicans have historically championed support for a strong police presence and longer sentencing, while Democrats are increasingly expressing concern ahead of November about the rise in crime within their blue cities.