On X (formerly Twitter), JD Vance has recently reiterated his boss’s concerns about the crime rate in Washington, D.C. He noted that the capital has “some of the worst homicide rates in the world.” His comments came after Donald Trump announced his big plans for the federal takeover of the district.
During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the President said, “We could run D.C. I mean, we’re looking at D.C. We’re thinking about doing it, to be honest with you. We want a capital that’s run flawlessly.” He declared that in that case, “The crime would be down to a minimal, would be much less.”
To back up his argument, the Vice President shared 2023’s statistics that showed at least 41 homicides for every 100,000 people in Washington D.C., which took the top spot on the list when compared with other capitals in countries around the globe.
“Our nation’s capital has some of the worst homicide rates in the world. If this fact doesn’t anger you but President Trump’s efforts to fix it do, you might have a brain worm,” JD tweeted. While his post was primarily to support Trump’s plans, he might have taken a dig at cabinet member Robert F. Kennedy in the process, intentionally or unintentionally.
Wondering how? Well, in a 2012 deposition, Kennedy, who is now the Health and Human Services Secretary, revealed that he might have a “brain worm.” To explain further, the doctors told him two years prior that a dead parasite had eaten a portion of his brain, resulting in a dark spot in the scan. Kennedy said that he had no confirmation about how he had contracted it, but concluded it might have been during a trip to Southeast Asia.
Our nation’s capital has some of the worst homicide rates in the world. If this fact doesn’t anger you but President Trump’s efforts to fix it do, you might have a brain worm. pic.twitter.com/v3wBMkthxP
— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 7, 2025
Some X users perceived JD Vance‘s tweet in a different way, specially due to choice of his words “brain worm.” One individual asked him, “Sir, did you just intentionally or unwittingly make a dig at RFK, Jr?
Meanwhile, earlier this week, Donald Trump claimed that one of the main reasons behind his planned takeover of the capital is the crime rate. “What a shame, the rate of crime, the rate of muggings, killings and everything else,” he said during the cabinet meeting. The Republican leader continued, “This has to be the best-run place in the country, not the worst-run place in the country, and it has so much potential and we’re going to take care of it.”
He promised, “You’re going to be safe. You’re going to be safe walking down streets. You’re not going to get mugged.”
However, the data from the Metropolitan Police Department says otherwise. Although 2023 had covered about 274 homicides in D.C., 2024 witnessed a reduction of 32 percent, bringing the total count down to 187. As of August 7, there have been 99 homicides so far this year.
