CNN’s King: Some Crime Is Up, But Trump’s Trying to Exploit ‘Disconnect’ Between Perceptions and Stats

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” CNN Chief National Correspondent John King reacted to 2024 Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump attending the wake of a slain NYPD officer by stating that “there’s a disconnect between the crime statistics” and while property crimes and vehicle thefts have gone up, “most violent crimes are down” nationally and “the statistics tell you crime is in better shape now than it was a few years back. However, some of these crimes are so shocking, Wolf, that they stir people, they stir anxiety, and Trump wants to turn that into votes.”

Host Wolf Blitzer asked, “John, as we reported, a third former President, namely Donald Trump, is also in New York today attending the wake of an NYPD police officer gunned down during a traffic stop. Trump is not known necessarily for this sort of appearance. So, why is he doing this now?”

King responded, “Because crime and immigration are central to the argument that Trump is going to make that you want to change, you want to change presidents because you’re mad about the border and you’re mad about crime. Now, if you look at crime statistics, nationally, most violent crimes are down, if you look at the New York Police Department statistics, most violent crimes are down, but property crimes are up, motor vehicle thefts are up. And we’ve had many crimes, including an officer killed in the line of duty, that are shocking, and they get a lot of attention on television. And so, this is one place where there’s a disconnect between the crime statistics and the crime perceptions among voters. And it could be a key issue in the suburbs, a key issue with swing voters, a key issue in the place Trump needs to win. So, it’s an issue he wants to highlight. Again, the statistics tell you crime is in better shape now than it was a few years back. However, some of these crimes are so shocking, Wolf, that they stir people, they stir anxiety, and Trump wants to turn that into votes.”

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