Portland Records Nation’s Steepest Drop in Homicides Despite Trump’s ‘Living in Hell’ Claim
President Donald Trump’s suggestion earlier this month and again last Friday that Portlanders are “living in hell” and his innuendo that National Guard troops could storm the city flies in the face of recently published crime data confirming that homicides declined by nearly 52% from 2024.
Portland Crime Data Doesn’t Support Trump’s “Living In Hell” Claim
Following the Portland ICE protest earlier this year, Trump said earlier this month that protesters had ruined the city and threatened to send the National Guard to address the Antifa and ICE protests. He used flawed terms such as “out of control” about Portland.
The remarks aren’t borne out by the latest Portland police crime figures, indicating that major categories of violent crime have gone down, following record-breaking violence in 2021 and 2022.
Police data shows homicides and recorded shootings are notably lower. From January to August this year, Portland recorded:
- 25 killings- a decline of nearly 52% from 2024
- 386 shootings- a 33% decrease from 2024
- For the first time since 2020, there were two months with no homicides in Portland.
Aggravated assault and robbery reports have also reduced. For the first eight months of this year, Portland recorded:
- 1,982 aggravated assaults- about a 3% decline from last year.
- 668 robberies- about an 8% decrease from last year.
Violent crime has fallen nationwide. In the first six months of the year, the Major Cities Chiefs Association indicated that the steepest drop in killings among 68 U.S. cities was in Portland in their survey.