Trump Demands End To Cashless Bail In Republican Crime Bill
President Donald Trump on Friday outlined one key provision he wants to see included in a Republican crime package: the end of cashless bail.
Speaking to The Daily Signal, Trump said the elimination of cash bail requirements has fueled violence in cities across the country.
“When that came out … originally, when that came out the first time, that’s when you saw the real big crime start to happen. Cashless bail. What a disaster that is,” Trump said. “You murder somebody, you don’t have to put up bail, and you go out in the street, and you murder somebody else.”
The president’s comments came as he continues discussions with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill over what he has called a Comprehensive Crime Bill.
In a post on Truth Social last week, Trump said he is working closely with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to craft legislation that will deliver sweeping reforms.
“[House] Speaker Mike Johnson and [Senate Majority] Leader John Thune are working with me and other Republicans on a Comprehensive Crime Bill. It’s what our Country needs, and NOW! More to follow,” Trump wrote.
Planning for the legislation has been underway since the summer recess. According to Politico, Justice Department officials met with Republican staffers earlier this year to begin laying out potential provisions. Trump has made law-and-order issues central to his agenda, repeatedly warning that soft-on-crime policies pushed by Democrats have led to spikes in violence nationwide.
In Washington, D.C., Trump pointed to his administration’s 30-day federalization of the Metropolitan Police Department as proof that his policies are working. He said the capital, long known for violent crime, has seen a dramatic turnaround since his intervention.
“Washington, D.C., has gone from one of the most dangerous cities in our country to what they call a safe city,” Trump said. He added that for the first time in years, he feels comfortable going out to dinner in the city.
“I wouldn’t have done that,” Trump told The Daily Signal. “To be honest, I would’ve had an obligation not to do it before I came into office, or even at the very beginning when things were so corrupt and so dangerous out on the streets.”
I asked @POTUS to respond to the DC AG suing him for his crime crack down.
— Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell (@TheElizMitchell) September 5, 2025
“How about this: We just set a record on low crime in Washington, D.C. and we have a man suing us to let us go back to high crime?”
“We’re gonna have to be here for a little while to make this really… pic.twitter.com/qC1OTZ2Tus
The president also blasted then-D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb for suing him over his decision to deploy the National Guard and take direct control of the city’s police force.
“But how about this: We just set a record on low crime in Washington, D.C., and we have a man suing us to let us go back to high crime,” Trump said.
Trump’s 30-day order federalizing the D.C. police is set to expire on September 10. He indicated he may need more time to make his changes stick, though it’s not clear that Congress is willing to grant the extension.
“We’re going to have to be here for a little while to make this really work long term after we’re gone,” Trump said. “And so we’re going to meet that head on, and I suspect we’ll be very successful.”
Asked what happens if Congress refuses to extend his control, Trump said he has other options.
He said he can “always declare a national emergency” if lawmakers fail to act. “Because this was a national emergency,” Trump said.
“But, right now, we have the safest city,” he added. “We have, now, one of the safe cities in the country. We had almost the worst, I mean, a city that was as bad as some of the horror shows that you’ve heard about for years.”
