Stephen Miller Makes Unhinged Claims That DC Residents Are ‘Wearing Their Watches Again’ Because of Trump
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller made a series of outlandish claims Monday during an Oval Office presser discussing President Donald Trump’s recent initiatives intended to crack down on crime in Washington, D.C.
Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in the nation’s capitol and other actions have been controversial, with the administration defending the policy as necessary in light of D.C.’s crime rate — as well as declaring intentions to use similar tactics in other large cities.
The president signed a series of executive orders Monday with several Cabinet members and senior staffers like Miller present. Trump brought up D.C. crime and claimed that because of his administration, it was “maybe the safety city in America right now.”
“That’s how good it is,” Trump continued. “It would be nice to be appreciated. These people eventually will have to be appreciated for what they are doing and appreciated by the officials that are happy when we go in because they’ve lost control of their place.”
Trump then cued up Miller to comment.
“No police officer working in the city can remember a time in their lives when there has been no murders,” said Miller. “You can work with the police department 20, 30 years — your whole life. No one could find a record of being murder-free for as long as we’ve been murder-free under President Trump’s leadership.”
Miller accused the city government of “doctoring of crime stats” and said that Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Department of Justice Officials were “leading the effort to uncover this.”
“When we ultimately share the results, it will stun you,” he said, claiming that D.C. not only had “the worst crime in America” but had “dramatically understated how bad its was,” with “severe” manipulation, including “accusations that murders and homicides were reported as accidents instead of murders.”
“It will all be uncovered and it will all be brought to light,” he promised.
Miller then made some claims about how D.C. residents were reacting:
I’ve had a chance to spend some time, as had everyone here, with the police officers and city. Members of the public are going up to them and thanking them, just overflowing with gratitude.
Because for the first time in their lives, they can use the parks, they can walk on the streets. You have people who can walk freely at night without having to worry about being robbed, or mugged.
They’re wearing their watches again. They’re wearing jewelry again. They’re carrying purses again. People have changed their whole lives in this city for fear of being murdered, mugged, and carjacked.
It is a literal statement that President Trump has freed 700,000 people in this city who were living under the rule of criminals and thugs.
Predictably, Miller was met with a wave of mockery from Trump critics, especially those who have lived, worked, and visited D.C. for years. Many acknowledged that crime was an issue but found Miller’s comments to be extremely hyperbolic. (This reporter has in fact worn a watch and jewelry and carried a purse and laptop bag in D.C. many times, visited parks, walked along the streets, etc.) A selection of reactions is below:
Watch the clip above via Fox News.
