Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

CNN’s Abby Phillip Completely Shortchanges National Guard’s Role In Trump’s DC Crime Crackdown

[Screenshot/CNN]

CNN host Abby Phillip Tuesday downplayed the role of the National Guard in President Donald Trump’ s strategy to deter crime in Washington, D.C.

Phillip said on “CNN NewsNight” that the National Guardsmen are doing tasks that could have been handled by the National Parks Service if they were adequately funded. She did not bother to mention that the National Guard’s presence in Washington has helped lead to plummeting crime rates since early August.

“The National Guard, the millions of dollars a day because these folks have to be paid, are doing what the Parks Service could have done if they were just given their adequate funding,” Phillip said.

The Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro then pointed out that crime rates have fallen substantially as a result of the National Guard and Trump’s federal takeover of Washington. Phillip argued that the National Guard is not involved in the arrests of criminals or the confiscation of illegal firearms. 

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“I understand that, but just to be clear, the National Guard is not doing any of that,” Phillip said. “The National Guard is not doing any of that. The people doing that are other law enforcement agencies like [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and Border Patrol and [the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] and others.”

CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings said he felt safe when he and his family walked past National Guardsmen in Washington over the weekend and that people are less likely to commit a crime with a National Guard member nearby.

Robberies declined by 42% and carjackings dropped by 85%  in Washington, D.C., according to statistics released by the Washington, D.C., Police Union on Aug.25.

Since Trump’s takeover, law enforcement has made 1,761 arrests and confiscated 195 illegal firearms, Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed on Wednesday. After having the fourth-highest murder rate in 2024, only one homicide had taken place in Washington since Trump’s crackdown.

Members of MS-13 and Tren de Agua have been among those arrested in the nation’s capital.

Trump’s crackdown in Washington came after several high-profile murders and crimes occurred, including the fatal shootings of 21-year-old congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym and two Israeli Embassy staffers in May and June. The administration took a more aggressive approach to crime after Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine, also known as “Big Balls,” was severely beaten after he interfered to stop a carjacking.