The knee-jerk opposition to any President Trump policy by the media has been quite amusing to witness this year. The press has taken a stance against such unacceptable activities with unrelenting consistency, opposing efforts such as curbing government waste, removing violent criminals, cutting taxes, and even opposing efforts to end the Ukraine-Russian war.
And then there is Chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, Peter Baker.
Many in the press have been opposed to Trump sending in National Guard soldiers to control the streets in the nation’s capital, but Mr. Baker has been especially resistant to the concept, as if fighting crime and making the neighborhoods safe for residents is an unthinkable act. It has already been revealing to see the examples people post of soldiers at locations; the implication that it is a military takeover and an oppressive show of force. What do none of these examples display? Crimes taking place.
Bizarrely, Peter Baker has been leading this charge against the move to bring in the Guard, but what has been something to behold is how frequently the senior newsman at The Paper Of Record has sidestepped basic journalism to make his case.
This began weeks ago with the announcement that Trump would deploy the troops. Baker trotted out the canard that crime statistics in the District had been dropping, stating this was not a needed effort. (And for good measure, he also invoked January 6.) There was also the failed deflection that other cities sport higher crime rates, while Trump is not sending troops into those hellholes. Peter the newsman elides the detail that, unlike cities in autonomous states, the capital is a federal district over which the president has jurisdiction.
Those crime stats had been Pete’s preferred Uno Card, but one that consistently failed to empty his hand. What he either missed out on, or chose to ignore, was the detail that the local authorities were cooking the books. More than a supposition, that fact had been reported just a few weeks prior, and the D.C. police union backed this as a reality.
NEW from @alanagoodman: Deposition and phone call transcripts, internal Metropolitan Police Department emails, and court documents show a systematic policy of misclassifying crimes to artificially lower DC crime statistics. pic.twitter.com/ssF5dUxgTC
— Zach Kessel (@zach_kessel) August 14, 2025
Upon the troops going in, Baker delivered more anti-crime bromides and then managed to completely unravel his own narrative. After repeatedly insisting crime was not an issue, he managed to insist that the authorities who were sent in were not going to the areas where the crime was located… that would be, the crime he insisted was not happening.
"Pete Baker: Crime Fighter!"
— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) August 19, 2025
A play in 4 acts:
From there's no crime, to the climax of THE CRIME IS OVER THERE. https://t.co/zTiyJBX2PB pic.twitter.com/1VqTI6Fqs0
Of note there, Pete was relying on anecdotal reports from Washington Post reporters in the city and posts on social media, not actual crime data. It turned out that the incident map issued by law enforcement in the District showed the crime heat map was similar to where troops had been posted. Imagine that – the authorities actually knew what to do when in town.
The next metric that Mr. Baker has consistently relied upon to be critical of the “authoritarian takeover” of D.C. has been restaurant reservations. He pointed out that in the one week after the troops arrived, reservations plunged 25 percent. What he was doing here was comparing the data from the same dates in 2024, when the district held its annual Restaurant Week, a time when eateries see a rush of business. This year, the event was held one week later.
Peter Baker caught sharing ANOTHER fake narrative.
— Abigail Jackson (@ATJackson47) August 19, 2025
Last year, DC Restaurant week began on Aug 12.
This year, DC Restaurant week began on Aug 18.
He's comparing data from restaurant week last year to a non-restaurant week this year. 🤔🤔🤔 https://t.co/4kpKCThzne
Following this year's Restaurant Week, Pete felt he still had the upper hand. He came out to declare that this year’s event saw a significant drop over the 2024 numbers, citing a Times article delivering the news. However, this has been disputed, as the supposed source of the figures is not clear regarding their accuracy.
Even the "source" of this claim says this isn't true 🤣 pic.twitter.com/c1PDeO3khV
— Speaking My Mind (@sherryande) August 26, 2025
Regardless of the actual reservation counts, consider how this is the focus of Peter Baker’s measure on the success/failure of the National Guard presence. The D.C. police Union has reported that since the troops came in, the data for numerous crime categories showed double-digit drops across the board. There had not been a homicide reported in the district for nearly two weeks (although one finally occurred Tuesday). That is considered an unheard-of statistic in this region, especially in the summer.
But Peter Baker has not reported on or even mentioned those statistics. He is preoccupied with mewling over reservation counts at the tony hotspots in town, and how the imposing men in fatigues standing by scary-looking military vehicles are sending tremors through the residents. We have to assume they wish for a return to normalcy, to once again enjoy the tranquil sounds of gunfire and the beatific appearance of bodies in the street.
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie.
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