CNN Admits Trump’s DC Crime Crackdown is Working [WATCH]

President Donald Trump’s recent decision to implement a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, D.C., appears to be having an effect on public safety in some high-profile areas, according to on-the-ground observations from a CNN reporter.

Trump announced the move on Monday as part of a broader strategy to address crime in the nation’s capital.

The decision came just days after Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine — known by the nickname “Big Balls” — was seriously injured while attempting to stop a mob from committing a carjacking.

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CNN’s Gabe Cohen, reporting Thursday on “CNN News Central” alongside guest co-host Jessica Dean, said that loitering outside Union Station, a location that has drawn public concern over safety, appears to have decreased.

“This is one of the areas of focus that we have heard a lot of concerns about, crime around Union Station, people who are loitering outside,” Cohen said.

“I will tell you, as somebody who walks this route all the time, it does seem like there are fewer people just sort of hanging around, but we don’t know exactly what that is.”

Democratic officials have claimed that violent crime in Washington, D.C., has dropped by roughly one-third.

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However, MPD’s reported crime data does not include incidents of aggravated assault and felony assault, both of which are classified as violent crimes under District law.

Cohen noted that the increased presence of National Guard troops is part of the effort to support MPD, though they are not directly making arrests.

“These National Guard troops, they are not here to make arrests. They do have zip ties on their back, but they are really here just for presence and to assist MPD any way they can,” he said.

He added that, according to sources, MPD leadership and District officials “are still the ones ultimately calling the shots when it comes to safety in the district.”

Cohen said that the city’s law enforcement is working in coordination with federal partners, but that “ultimately they are the ones sort of drawing up the game plan and getting assistance from their federal partners.”

The White House, however, has indicated that Attorney General Pam Bondi and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Terry Cole are the officials ultimately in charge of the federal response.

“We’ll see how that dynamic plays out,” Cohen said, “but again, outside Union Station, this is what folks who live or visit D.C. can expect to see: A lot of federal law enforcement presence.”

The federal intervention follows several high-profile violent incidents in the District this year.

On June 30, Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, an intern for Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS), was fatally shot less than a mile from the White House.

In May, two employees of the Israeli Embassy were killed in a shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum, an attack authorities have linked to a pro-Hamas suspect.

Federal officials have said they intend to maintain a visible presence in key areas of the city as coordination continues between local and federal agencies.