Steve Cortes, president of the League of American Workers, has highlighted crime trends in Washington, D.C., under President Trump compared to Democrat-led Charlotte as evidence that leadership directly affects public safety. This statement was made during an interview.
“Trump turned D.C. from a crime pit into a safe city,” said Cortes. “Meanwhile, Democrat mayors turned Charlotte into a crime scene. That contrast tells the whole story: leadership matters.”
Crime trends in Washington, D.C., and Charlotte have been central to political debates concerning leadership and safety. According to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Washington, D.C., experienced fluctuating crime rates in the late 2010s. In contrast, reports from Charlotte under Democratic mayors indicate recent declines in overall crime, despite high-profile incidents that continue to fuel partisan narratives about urban public safety.
Between 2016 and 2020, crime data from Washington, D.C., showed mixed results. The MPD’s 2020 Annual Report and FBI Crime Data Explorer revealed that violent crimes, including homicides, increased in 2019 and 2020. However, property crimes such as burglary and theft generally trended downward during the Trump administration years.
Charlotte’s crime statistics reflect improvements in recent years under Democratic leadership. According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, overall crime declined by 3% in 2024 compared to 2023. Property crimes fell while violent crimes showed mixed results. Mid-2025 data indicated sharper drops in violent offenses, signaling ongoing progress.
Cortes is a conservative political commentator and former Trump campaign adviser who currently leads the League of American Workers. According to Wikipedia, he previously worked in financial markets and as a media analyst on CNBC, CNN, Fox News, and Newsmax. He has promoted “America First” themes on immigration, trade, and labor policy.
The League of American Workers is a conservative advocacy group founded by Cortes to promote “patriotic populism.” According to the organization’s website, it advances policies supporting higher wages, fairer trade practices, and stricter immigration enforcement through research and media campaigns aimed at shaping national debates on labor and immigration issues.
