Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino accused the mainstream media of deliberately minimizing a historic decline in violent crime under President Donald Trump, arguing that the data speaks for itself even as legacy outlets scramble to deny the administration credit.
Speaking Thursday on “Hannity,” Bongino said the Trump administration oversaw a dramatic surge in arrests of violent offenders, record drug seizures, and the capture of multiple fugitives from the FBI’s most wanted list.
These accomplishments, he said, are being glossed over or even ignored outright.
“The murder rate is the lowest it’s been since 1900,” Bongino said.
“By definition, there’s no modern precedent for that.”
Bongino recently stepped down after serving as deputy director, a role he said was designed as a roughly one-year effort to help reorganize the bureau and refocus it on core law enforcement priorities.
His comments followed the release of a new report from the Council on Criminal Justice, which analyzed crime data from 40 major U.S. cities.
The report found that 11 of 13 major crime categories declined in 2025 compared with the previous year, with overall violent crime falling to its lowest level since 2019.
Crime rates continued to fall in 2025. In our 35-city sample, annual homicide rates rose from 2018 to 2021, before falling 44% since then, reaching a likely historic low in 2025.https://t.co/8nIGNFmkiv pic.twitter.com/R6EHjQ55aQ
— Council on Criminal Justice (@CouncilonCJ) January 22, 2026
The council went further, noting a “strong likelihood” that once nationwide FBI data is finalized later this year, the 2025 homicide rate will be the lowest ever recorded in U.S. history, with records stretching back to 1900.
Bongino argued that despite acknowledging the numbers, left-leaning outlets are working overtime to avoid crediting Trump’s policies.
He singled out Axios and The New York Times for what he described as deliberate spin.
“There’s a thousand excuses as to why President Trump and his administration didn’t do it,” Bongino said.
“Meanwhile, I lived it.
“I know what we did and didn’t do.”
An Axios article published Thursday acknowledged the sharp drop in violent crime and homicides but argued crime was “already falling” during the final year of the Biden administration, suggesting Trump’s policies may not have played a decisive role.
Bongino also blasted a New York Times headline citing anonymous current and former FBI employees claiming Director Kash Patel is “Making America Less Safe.”
“Do you dipwads even read your own headlines?” Bongino said, adding that he is “so tired of these idiots.”
He dismissed the criticism as coming from media figures and bureaucrats with no real-world law enforcement experience.
“These are people who’ve never spent a day wearing a badge,” Bongino said.
WATCH:
The crime data, however, tells a different story, one that undermines years of media narratives.
The data highlights a clear shift in public safety outcomes under President Trump’s second-term leadership.
READ MORE – Brooklyn Hospital Denies Medical Treatment for NYPD Detectives
Our comment section is restricted to members of the Slay News community only.
To join, create a free account HERE.
If you are already a member, log in HERE.