Bulwark Takes – "Trump is LYING About the DC Takeover"

Date: August 19, 2025
Hosts: JVL & Andrew Egger

Main Theme

This episode centers on President Donald Trump’s claims and actions regarding crime in Washington D.C. The hosts dissect the administration's aggressive federal intervention in the city, examine the validity of the President's statements about crime rates, and discuss the broader political and social implications of this "crime crackdown." The episode critically evaluates the contrast between Trump’s narrative and the reality on the ground, highlighting the administration's spin, norm-breaking behavior, and underlying motivations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s “Truths” and the Crime Narrative (00:00–02:57)

• Federal Takeover of D.C. Policing: About a week and a half into the crackdown, President Trump has federalized D.C.’s police force, placing it under the DEA and deploying various federal agencies throughout key areas, especially near tourist attractions.
• Trump’s Social Media Victory Lap: Trump claims D.C. was previously "the most unsafe city in the United States, and perhaps the world," but is now "the safest and getting better every single hour" mere days into the federal intervention.
  • Quote, Trump (via Truth Social, read by Andrew Egger) [01:12]:
    “DC gave fake crime numbers in order to create a false illusion of safety... Now in just a short period of time, it is perhaps the safest and getting better every single hour. People are flocking to D.C. again...”
• Host's Reaction: The hosts mock the hyperbole and express disbelief at how such blatantly false statements have become normalized from the President.
  • Quote, JVL [02:16]:
    “I have so many questions, Andrew, beginning with could we get Child Protective Services to investigate any parents who ever brought their children to D.C. before Trump’s liberation day when it was the most unsafe city in the world?... The president… just says all these things which are untrue all the time and like the world doesn’t react to it anymore.”

2. The “Crime Crackdown” Compared to Reality (02:57–06:32)

• Historical Pattern of Trump’s Tactics: Andrew draws parallels to previous actions—such as the renegotiation of NAFTA—where Trump claims to transform the “worst” situation into the “best” with little substantive change.
• Street-Level Reality: Despite the influx of federal officers, day-to-day life in D.C. has persisted as normal, with citizens bemused and uneasy, not convinced by the administration’s narrative.
• Manipulation of Crime Statistics: The administration touts arrest numbers to claim success, but actual figures match typical levels of D.C. policing pre-crackdown.
  • Quote, Andrew Egger [05:13]:
    “The average number of people the D.C. Metropolitan Police arrests in an average day is 68 people. That is the exact number that… the New York Post wrote up this morning. Carolyn Levitt spiked the football on social media this morning.”
• Narrative Spin: Arrest numbers are being reframed as proof of the crackdown’s effectiveness, when in fact they reflect standard operations, described by Andrew as “cotton candy… spun up out of nowhere.”

3. The Underlying Motivations: Test Runs and Election Strategy (06:32–10:53)

• Power and Precedent: This aggressive intervention is described as a trial to see how much federal overreach is possible—especially in D.C., a unique federal jurisdiction—and a potential model for actions in other cities.

  • Quote, JVL [06:32]:
    “The whole idea is to do this as a dry run for, can we get away with deploying National Guard in cities against their will… Maybe we do a little bit of this in Philly the week before the election… I think they could shave a couple tenths of a point in turnout off by doing this sort of thing, do you?”

• Two-Track Approach:

  • Hard Power: How much overt intervention will the public accept? Can this acclimate people to a more militarized law enforcement presence?
  • Persuasion and Salesmanship: Trump and his team are focused on selling the intervention as a success to their base, regardless of statistical reality.

• Right-Wing Media and Algorithmic Amplification: The crime narrative is fed and amplified through social and right-wing media, shaping perceptions more powerfully than facts.

  • Quote, Andrew Egger [09:30]:
    “It’s very much this social media and right wing media generated sense in the ID that things are spiraling out of control… it creates this sense for a lot of people that crime is still spiraling out of control in America. When… if you look at the data, it really isn’t.”

• The Real Aim: Content Creation: Trump’s team is producing viral "law-and-order" content to provide emotional proof of toughness for the MAGA base, equating federal presence with safety—even if confrontations occur.

4. Escalation by Design: Provoking Conflict (10:53–14:00)

• Deliberate Escalation: The hosts argue the administration is handling this "crackdown" in the most inflammatory way to maximize citizen-police confrontation and provide dramatic footage for the narrative.
  • Quote, JVL [11:07]:
    “They’re doing it the most irresponsible way possible because they want something to happen.”
• Case Studies in Escalation:
  • The “Sandwich Attack” — A DOJ lawyer was theatrically arrested (and re-arrested) for hitting an ICE agent with a sandwich; the event was taped, packaged, and released as a sizzle reel by authorities.
  • Masked federal agents in tactical gear tore down anti-ICE signs and made boasts like, “We’re taking America back, baby,” with official agency social media releasing the footage.
  • Quote, Andrew Egger [15:20]:
    “ICE itself posted on X a video of… this operation of eight ICE agents… gathering around the sign and then they pull it down and then one of them balls it up and says, we’re taking America back, baby.”
• Host Reflections: JVL and Andrew agree these moves are not rogue actions but are officially encouraged and messaged, with the goal of intimidating dissent and cementing the legitimacy of aggressive federal policing.

5. The Broader and Darker Implications (14:00–16:14)

• Identification with the Regime: The growing alignment between law enforcement officers and overtly political messaging is alarming, suggesting deeper trouble for democratic norms.
  • Quote, JVL [14:29]:
    “When the agents of the state begin identifying with the regime, isn’t that typically a trouble sign?”
  • Quote, Andrew Egger [15:00]:
    “...they want you to know this is the policy of the United States to do all of these things now. So it’s, yeah, it’s quite, quite grim, guys.”
• Conclusion and Warning: The hosts are gravely concerned about what these developments portend for both Washington, D.C., and the country—particularly as they serve as dress rehearsals for further crackdowns, especially around future elections.

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• JVL mocks Trump’s hype about D.C.’s safety:
  “Could we get Child Protective Services to investigate any parents who ever brought their children to D.C. before Trump’s liberation day...?” — JVL [02:16]

• Andrew on narrative spin:
  “It is completely just in the realm of, of narrative and spin... it’s cotton candy, this whole thing.” — Andrew Egger [06:05]

• JVL on the intention behind the crackdown:
  “They’re doing it in the most irresponsible way possible because they want something to happen.” — JVL [11:07]

• Andrew on the sandwich arrest incident:
  “They march into his building and frog march him out of there, and they’re taping the whole thing and they release a sizzle reel about it.” — Andrew Egger [13:40]

• Andrew on federal messaging and law enforcement:
  “We’re taking America back, baby.” — ICE agent (via Andrew) [15:20]
  “...they want you to know this is the policy of the United States to do all of these things now. So it’s, yeah, it’s quite, quite grim, guys.” — Andrew Egger [15:00]

Key Takeaways

• Trump’s claims of having instantly transformed D.C. into the “safest city in the world” are egregiously false and intended as both political theater and a test of authoritarian reach.
• The administration’s boasts about arrests are based on normal statistical averages, repackaged and amplified for partisan effect.
• The goal goes beyond policing—it’s about softening the public up for more sweeping interventions elsewhere, generating viral “tough on crime” content, and intimidating opposition.
• The normalization of aggressive, regime-affiliated law enforcement and open disdain for democratic norms is deeply troubling for the future.
• The hosts sign off with tangible concern:
  “Good luck, America.” — JVL [16:14]