Is Donald Trump right that the U.S. crime rate is at its lowest in 125 years?
Murders, overall violent crime and property crime are at their lowest rates in decades, but it’s unclear whether they are at 125-year record lows
President Donald Trump has been celebrating what he says is a major crime reduction achievement in the United States.
On at least 10 occasions from Jan. 29 to Feb. 8, Trump has offered a version of this statement: “The crime rate now is the lowest it’s been since 1900. That’s 125 years.” One of those occasions was during an NBC News interview that aired Feb. 8 before the Super Bowl.
Trump referred to the crime rate, an umbrella category that includes four types of violent crime (murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) as well as property crimes (burglary, larceny, car theft and arson). But when contacted for comment, the White House referred to a narrower measure: the murder rate.
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