What Does the Public Think About Trump's Approach to Crime?

With public support of his immigration and economic policies flailing, President Donald Trump thinks he has found a winning issue: crime. During a recent Cabinet meeting, the president referred to crime as a "big subject of the midterms," adding that he thinks it will "be a big subject of the next election," according to CNN. "Republicans are going to do really well."

In the past month, the president has instituted a federal takeover of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, deployed the National Guard to deal with the city's "crime emergency," and signed an executive order aimed at restricting the use of cashless bail nationwide. Trump has also threatened similar military deployments in other U.S. cities, which could stand on shaky legal ground.

Despite this, the president thinks his tough-on-crime approach is a winning strategy. A new Associated Press-NORC poll suggests that the president might not be wrong. According to the poll, 53 percent of Americans approve of Trump's handling of crime. However, an overwhelming majority of respondents (81 percent) view crime as a "major problem" in America's large cities, while 66 percent view it as a "major problem" nationwide.

Support for using the military in domestic law enforcement is divided along partisan lines. While 82 percent of Republicans, and 55 percent of respondents overall, consider it "completely or somewhat acceptable" for the military and National Guard to assist local police, only 46 percent of Independents and 30 percent of Democrats share this view. Republicans are also more likely to approve of the federal government assuming control of local police departments in large cities, with 51 percent finding it acceptable. Democrats (15 percent) and Independents (26 percent), on the other hand, largely oppose the federal government dispatching troops to large cities. 

However, only 32 percent of respondents overall supported the federal government taking control of local police departments in major cities, as the president has done in Washington, D.C.

Notably, crime is one of the only major issues that skews in favor of Trump. With a 5-point increase from the July A.P.-NORC poll, the president currently has a 45 percent job approval rating; however, 54 percent of respondents disapprove of his handling of the economy and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, while 53 percent disapprove of his handling of immigration.

That's in line with other recent surveys. A poll released by Gallup on Tuesday finds just "40% of Americans approving of President Donald Trump's overall job performance, in line with support for him in June and July after registering 43% or higher in the first five months of the year." The Gallup poll also finds unfavorable marks for the president's handling of foreign affairs, education, and the economy, with the president failing to reach a 40 percent approval rating in any of these issue areas.

The public's perception of crime as a significant problem doesn't mean the president's heavy-handed, legally dubious approach is the right one. The federal takeover of D.C. has predictably led to documented cases of civil rights and constitutional violations. Despite the president's recent statements about widespread crime in American cities, there were signs as early as January of violent crime decreasing nationwide. FBI data indicate a 4.5 percent decrease in violent crime nationwide in 2024. Early data from 2025 suggest that the ongoing trend could result in the lowest murder rate ever recorded, as reported by Reason's Billy Binion.

While Trump may enjoy enough public support now to think that crime will help Republicans in the next election, an approach to crime prevention that usurps local control remains deeply unpopular. Just like other issues, approval for the president's crime policies could soon falter.  

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