This morning on MSNBC, Anand Giridharadas brushed off concerns about crime in Washington, D.C., arguing the real crisis was January 6 and the pardons granted to those involved. He added that he worries more about his kids losing their “freedom to breathe” without climate change policy, about threats to voting rights, and about welfare cuts in the capital, than he does about someone stealing his wallet.
"I think it's really important to be clear about what is going on here," started Giridharadas. "And a relatively small crime problem is being used for specific authoritarian purposes that we know and understand. So let's be clear about, D.C. does have one really big crime problem, which was the January 6th insurrection incited by the current President of the United States, and his first act in coming back was pardoning all the people who tried to overturn constitutional Republic order in Washington, D.C."
"When I go to D.C., I'm not afraid of losing my wallet, so much as I'm afraid of losing my vote. I'm not afraid of losing my wallet, so much as my children's freedom to breathe will be stolen in a world where climate change policy is non-existent. I'm afraid that the future of middle-class people will be stolen by the very things you are talking about, cutting the safety net, cutting Medicaid, cutting rural hospitals," Giridharadas went on.
MSNBC Guest: I'm more afraid of losing my vote and climate change than getting mugged in DC. pic.twitter.com/QzrWvqof6C
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 12, 2025
X users called out Giridharadas for his elitist, out-of-touch take.
"I am in a nearby DC suburb this week for work and it always amazes me driving by all the gated private schools and mansions in DC as I head into Maryland. Elites don’t care about crime because they are and always will be protected from it," one user wrote.
"Hmmm……..Violent Crime: D.C.’s violent crime rate remains elevated compared to the U.S. average. In 2024, there were 22,320 crimes against persons (mostly assaults at 21,437), down from 23,914 in 2023. The chance of becoming a victim of violent crime is about 1 in 96, higher than the national figure," another said.
One X user just commented with a clown emoji.
President Trump on Monday announced that in order to crack down on D.C. crime, he was going to activate the national guard, among other federal law enforcement agencies, as well as assume temporary control over the Metropolitan Police Department. Most people, including the D.C. police union, supported and welcomed the move.