By Ray Cardello for February 18, 2026, Season 34 / Post 19

I realize that the Trump Derangement Syndrome that is plaguing the Left and especially the mainstream and legacy media, but we need to stop for a minute and not only enjoy the new crime numbers, but also understand how they happened. These historically low numbers did not happen by accident, and it is not a case of crime taking a holiday. These numbers are a result of policy changes that are having a real and profound positive impact on our way of life, and we should be celebrating these low numbers just as we digest and capitulate to the bad results. It was amazing how these numbers were released, ignored, and passed over like they were the results of a Pee Wee basketball game in Spokane.

Lethality peaked in America in 2022, which should be no surprise. Biden and the Democrats are not supporters of local police or crime fighting at any level, and in 2022, we were at our peak numbers of illegals and criminals flooding into our country. The crime statistics validated our concern about the impact Biden’s policies would have on America from coast to coast. Murders, burglaries, and drug deaths were all at record highs. In just one year of Trump implementing a renewed support for local law enforcement, a reinvigorated FBI, a closed southern border, a self-deportation policy, and the actual deportation of criminals, the crime statistics have dropped to a low we have not seen in 125 years.

Key 2025 & Early 2026 Crime Trends (Based on City-Level Data)

• Violent Crime: Significant decreases, with homicides down 21% and robberies down 23% in 2025, continuing 2024 declines.
• Gun Violence & Theft: Aggravated assaults fell 9% and gun assaults by 22% in 2025. Car-jackings dropped 43%, and, following a 2024 trend, motor vehicle thefts began to decline.
• Property & Other Crimes: Property crimes generally decreased in 2025, though retail theft/shoplifting was a notable exception, increasing 14% in 2024.
• Drug Crimes: Drug offenses increased by 7% in 2025, marking the only major category that rose. 

What does this mean to the average American? How about your city or town becoming a safe haven again?How about the fear of assaults and car-jackings is not on the front of your mind when you leave the house to go to work, shopping, or even out for dinner? Nearly every category was down from the all-time highs under Biden/Harris in 2022 by 14 to 44%. We should be dancing in the streets, but we have more work to do. Shoplifting and drug crimes did show a slight increase, and this is probably attributed to the cost of living, which is slowing, but still too high.

Digging deeper into the murder rate, there are roughly 7,000 fewer murders per year under Trump than under Biden. That is 7,000 men and women who are living with their families, playing with their kids, heck, even walking the family dog, who would not be so lucky under the policies of Biden/Harris. Stats can be boring, and most people, including me, do not have much faith in government statistics, but love him or hate him, 7,000 American families should be thankful that Donald Trump is in the White House, working every day to keep them safe.