Buttigieg Downplays D.C. Crime Rate, Says He Can ‘Safely Walk’ His Dog

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg dismissed the idea that Washington, DC, is experiencing a rise in crime, pointing out that a “lot of energy” was going into painting the narrative.

During an interview with MSNBC host Jen Psaki on Sunday, Buttigieg highlighted how he was able to “safely walk” his dog in the nation’s capital without any problems. Buttigieg, like many other elected officials, is provided with a security detail.

“We need to talk about the reality here, and again, there is a lot of funding and a lot of energy going into telling a different story, especially on ideological news outlets and online,” Buttigieg said.

BUTTIGIEG (who has a constant security detail): "I can safely walk my dog to the Capitol today in a way that you couldn't do when we all got here!"

Last year, D.C. had its deadliest year in 20+ years and saw the largest violent crime spike of any major U.S. city. pic.twitter.com/Jreo3W1Hsj

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 7, 2024

“But, the simple facts and the simple reality are right here staring us in the face, including the fact that I can safely walk my dog to the Capitol today in a way that you couldn’t do when we all got here,” Buttigieg added.

Hours after Buttigieg’s interview, two people walking their dog on H Street NE were attacked by a group of six juveniles, according to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

One of the victims was reportedly stabbed, while the other victim was punched in the face and had his phone and wallet stolen by the juveniles, Fox5DC reported.

Washington, DC, has reported 898 violent crimes in 2024, a 22% decrease compared to the 1,147 seen in 2023, according to crime data from the MPD. There have been 558 robberies reported in 2024, an 18% decrease from 680 robberies reported in 2023. Meanwhile, there have been 3,247 reported theft incidents in 2024, a 5% increase from the 3,085 theft incidents reported in 2023.

The nation’s capital finished 2023 with 5,336 violent crimes reported, a 39% increase from the 3,850 reported in 2022. There were 6,829 motor vehicle thefts reported in 2023, an 82% increase from 3,756 reported in 2022.