"I am committed to rescuing our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, chaos, misery, and worse things." The exaggerated rhetoric of Donald Trump was expected by journalists who attended the press conference at the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House to cover the announcement of the Washington Liberation Day, as the U.S. President called the new chapter of his strategy to militarize Democratic cities. Deploying 800 National Guard soldiers and assuming direct control of local police for 30 days surprised less than the city chosen to support his plan: none other than Madrid, exalted by Trump as the safest city in the world, the example to follow.
In the dossier he presented to support his plan, titled Making DC safe and beautiful again, the capital of Spain stood out in a comparative graph of homicide rates per 100,000 inhabitants in various world capitals. The list started with the U.S. capital and ended in Madrid, in a decreasing table that also included Bogotá, Mexico City, Islamabad, Lima, Ottawa, Paris, Havana, New Delhi, and London. Madrid had the lowest rate: 0.96, compared to Washington DC, with 27.54, the highest in the selection.
"Yes, the homicide rate in Washington is 26 times higher than in Madrid," summarizes Alexis R. Piquero for Crónica, a Criminology professor at the University of Miami and former director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics during the Presidency of Joe Biden. "There are many differences between both cities, including that Madrid has a very large population (over three million inhabitants) and an extensive geographical area, while Washington DC has a much smaller population (around 700,000 people) and a smaller geographical footprint. Poverty is much more concentrated in Washington DC than in Madrid, as well as the presence and availability of lethal firearms is more widespread," he explains.
During his time at the White House, Piquero oversaw the collection, analysis, and dissemination of key information on crimes, victims, and the functioning of the Justice system, while also providing technical and financial support to local and state administrations to strengthen the quality of their records and statistics. "Often, with crime data, perception does not match what we know from official statistics. And this is a perfect example in the political debate here in the U.S. about the crime rate in Washington DC, especially compared to other cities in the country. However, if citizens consulted the official crime statistics, easily available for both cities, they would clearly see that Madrid is significantly safer than Washington in terms of all crimes, but especially violent ones," he emphasizes.
Graph presented by the Trump Administration in which Madrid appears as the capital with the lowest homicide rate.The White House
Piquero, considered "the best criminologist in the world", with over 25 years of experience, several books, and more than 500 academic articles, highlights "the wide range of cultural differences" between both cities, including, among other factors, "a sense of communitarianism and interdependence, with a significant amount of social services provided to Madrid residents on a much larger scale than to Washingtonians." The dossier presented by Trump covers five years, between 2019 and 2024, with estimates compiled from data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the U.S. Congress, the international platform Statista, as well as official reports from local governments.
Based on the 2024 Quarterly Crime Balance from the Ministry of the Interior and the Comparison of Cumulative Crime in 2025 from the Metropolitan Police of Washington DC, in the U.S. capital, apart from recording a higher number of homicides, there is also a higher level of violent robberies (300.89 versus 238.87) and vehicle thefts (731.79 versus 116.35). In the capital of Spain, on the other hand, there are more crimes against sexual freedom (51.23 compared to 20.36), more burglaries (202.02 versus 142.54), and more thefts (2,330.93 versus 1,856.46).
Regarding drug-related crimes, it is necessary to resort to data from different sources due to the differences in how these crimes are recorded and legally classified in each city, resulting in 47.56 per 100,000 inhabitants in Washington DC and 86.63 in Madrid.
"In general, the best prevention and intervention policies focus on short, medium, and long-term strategies. Regarding prevention, the best approach is to ensure that children learn effective self-control, as we have found that good self-control is related to many positive outcomes in life," says Piquero.
The Cuban-American criminologist was the person in the Biden Administration responsible for ensuring the accuracy and objectivity of data to guide Security and Justice policies for both the Government and the general public. Under his leadership, the Bureau of Justice Statistics modernized its visualization tools and promoted the Just the Stats reports, with the aim of bringing complex information closer to non-specialized audiences.
According to the data collected at present, regarding "intervention strategies aimed at addressing crime" in violence hotspots in cities like Washington DC, it is considered that "a combination of police and non-police strategies is more effective." These include "surveillance at critical points" (focused on crime in specific locations), as well as the role of community violence interrupters who are trained to work with at-risk youth to try to reduce the likelihood of violence in specific situations.
Prosecutor Jeanine Pirro points to the photo of Ty'ah Settles, 3 years old, murdered in Washington DC in 2024.J. MARTINAP
"Crime comparisons between Madrid and U.S. cities, as those made by Trump, are objectively inaccurate and incomplete," emphasizes Jupol, the majority union in the National Police. "These types of comparisons do not reflect reality, as they omit essential factors such as access to firearms, criminal legislation, and cultural and social differences between the U.S. and Spain. In the graph shown by Trump, in addition to using erroneous data, it was ignored that in 2024 Washington DC experienced a significant decrease in homicides compared to 2023, and that Madrid had an exceptionally low record, with only 12 homicides throughout the year, which represents a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 inhabitants. These figures place the Spanish capital well below any major U.S. city," highlights Ibon González, spokesperson for Jupol.
Trump painted a dystopian picture on the streets of Washington DC that contrasts with official figures, suggesting that the homicide rate is higher than in some of "the worst places on Earth." "Any comparison with a country devastated by war is hyperbolic and false," declared Muriel Bowser, Mayor of Washington, who has harshly criticized the President's decision. Bowser relies on numbers published by the District of Columbia Attorney's Office in January: violent crime in the city reached its lowest level in 30 years, with a 35% decrease compared to 2023. Homicides decreased by 32%, robberies by 39%, and carjackings by 53%.
Jupol emphasizes that in the U.S., anyone can access a firearm relatively easily, while in Spain, control and regulation over their possession and use are exhaustive and strict. "This structural difference makes direct comparisons lack rigor and can lead to erroneous conclusions," González argues.
In Madrid, Security responsibilities are shared between the State, with authority over the National Police and the Civil Guard through the Ministry of the Interior, and the City Council, in charge of the Municipal Police. "We have the safest streets, I'm not going to say in the world, but almost," stated the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, in the press conference where he reviewed the political course last July.
Jupol, on the other hand, expresses "concern about the increase in the most serious crimes in Spain in the period 2017-2024, with increases in attempted homicides, sexual offenses, kidnappings, and drug trafficking." "Although the homicide data in Madrid in 2024 are not alarming, the general trend in serious crime across the country demands an urgent response," they state.
"In Washington, DC, the exposure to violence, which until recently was high, generates a perception of insecurity that is more in line with statistical reality, despite the recent improvement. In Madrid, objective data places it as one of the safest capitals in Europe, although perceptions fluctuate due to the media impact of certain crimes," explains Jordi Delgado Avilés, criminologist, director of security, and private detective.
"Safety is a perception. At a match at the Santiago Bernabéu, for example, there may be 500 plainclothes police officers, and the public's perception of security is that there is no security. But if those same 500 police officers are in uniform, the perception of security increases considerably. And we're talking about the same 500 police officers," reflects Delgado Avilés, who also serves as vice-treasurer of the Professional Association of Criminology of the Community of Madrid.
"In Washington, DC, after a historic peak in homicides in 2023 (274), the city recorded a 32% drop in 2024, falling to 187 cases. Total violent crimes fell by 35% and general crime by 15%. The structural causes are firearms, urban-social segregation, the high number of ex-inmates undergoing reintegration, and decentralized criminal legislation. In Madrid, the decline is sustained. In 2023, 411,782 crimes were recorded (-2.9% compared to 2022), and in the first quarter of 2025, the crime rate fell by 0.5 percentage points, with 40 fewer crimes per day. "Gun control, a mixed policing model, social cohesion, and unified legislation are key," says the criminologist. In the end, the case of Trump and Madrid provides a lesson: between political slogans and statistics, reality is measured in decimals.