{"id":2474236,"date":"2025-08-13T11:36:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T15:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yes-d-c-is-just-as-bad-as-trump-says-it-is\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T11:38:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T15:38:24","slug":"yes-d-c-is-just-as-bad-as-trump-says-it-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yes-d-c-is-just-as-bad-as-trump-says-it-is\/","title":{"rendered":"Yes, D.C. Is Just As Bad As Trump Says It Is"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fyes-d-c-is-just-as-bad-as-trump-says-it-is%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2474236&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article, written by Abigail Nichols for The Federalist, describes the severe homelessness, crime, and disorder witnessed in Washington, D.C., highlighting visible signs such as drug addiction, schizophrenia symptoms among the homeless, violent incidents, and pervasive filth throughout the city. Despite these issues, many legacy media outlets and some journalists downplay or deny the extent of the crisis, often coming from more affluent neighborhoods and portraying D.C. as safer then it is.<\/p>\n<p>In response to rising crime and homelessness, former President Trump declared a &#8220;public safety emergency&#8221; in D.C., invoking federal powers to deploy National Guard troops and take measures to restore law and order. The Trump governance cites D.C.&#8217;s high murder rate-which has nearly doubled over the past decade-and homelessness rates comparable to those in states like california and Hawaii. Efforts also include addressing mental health issues among the homeless through institutional treatment.<\/p>\n<p>The article criticizes some media coverage for ignoring residents&#8217; experiences and victimizing Trump&#8217;s federal intervention. Local studies indicate important residents feel unsafe, with a high portion of youth experiencing stress and anxiety due to violence. Although official crime statistics show a recent decrease, incidents such as youth shootings and public disturbances continue to impact daily life.<\/p>\n<p>Nichols shares a personal incident where a drunk homeless man blocked The Federalist&#8217;s office, illustrating the ongoing challenges faced by residents and workers in the capital. The article concludes by urging recognition of D.C.&#8217;s problems and support for measures aimed at making the city safer and more welcoming, emphasizing that it should reflect its status as the nation&#8217;s capital and a symbol of freedom and opportunity.  <\/p>\n<div id=\"ld-4686-3758\"><\/div>\n<p><script>(function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:14832835450050406,size:[0, 0],id:\"ld-4686-3758\"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src=\"https:\/\/cdn2.decide.dev\/_js\/ajs.js\";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,\"script\",\"ld-ajs\");<\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In just one summer of living in D.C., I&rsquo;ve witnessed a couple fight over crack cocaine on the bus while the man threatened to beat his girlfriend and homeless regulars sleeping on Pennsylvania Avenue around the corner from the Capitol building, while rats roam right next to them. I&rsquo;ve seen a dozen people show signs of schizophrenia as they yell at the empty bus seat or open space next to them. <\/p>\n<p>I&rsquo;ve witnessed homeless people encamp right outside of Union Station, a man try to break into my car while I was getting ice cream in the Eastern Market, single moms full of anger that they direct at their kids while on the Metro and buses, and urine perfume every Metro station I&rsquo;ve been in.<\/p>\n<p>You don&rsquo;t have to look far to see the brokenness, violence, and filth that&rsquo;s in D.C. In fact, I took a quick drive around the city and captured the photos below showing readers that reality. But that hasn&rsquo;t stopped legacy media journalists from denying that D.C. has a problem &mdash; likely from their ritzy neighborhood bubbles and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Gb3GEIQdIBQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">million-dollar mansions<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Earlier this week, for example, journalist Ron Kampeas boasted that he&rsquo;s &ldquo;never been carjacked,&rdquo; and therefore it must not be an issue for anyone else in the city (despite the fact that he does not live in D.C.). The New York Times&rsquo; Peter Baker even <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/peterbakernyt\/status\/1954996356357165396\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> it a &ldquo;nonexistent crime crisis.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>But anyone living in D.C. who has eyes and ears to see the homelessness, crime, filth, and boarded-up windows knows that D.C. needs help &mdash; and the president has finally taken concrete moves to&nbsp;do so.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Trump declared a &ldquo;public safety emergency in the District of Columbia&rdquo; during Monday&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZtVMoko3mSI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announcement<\/a> of an initiative to rein in homelessness and crime, starting with deploying National Guard troops, invoking <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/11\/trump-takes-control-of-dc-police-to-restore-safety-pride-and-beauty-to-nations-capital\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Section 740<\/a> of the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, and leaning into his Article II <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=APzUzGTQjGI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">constitutional power<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The District of Columbia has lost control of public order and safety in the city, as evidenced by the two embassy staffers who were murdered in May, the Congressional intern who was fatally shot a short distance from the White House in June, and the Administration staffer who was mercilessly beaten by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-takes-control-of-dc-police-to-restore-safety-to-us-capital\/\" title=\"... Takes Control Of DC Police To Restore ... To US Capital\">violent mob days ago<\/a>,&rdquo; said Trump&rsquo;s presidential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/08\/restoring-law-and-order-in-the-district-of-columbia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">memo<\/a> on Monday.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p><em>A homeless man sleeping in front of Union Station<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to the Trump administration, the U.S. capital has a much higher murder rate than many other capitals, including some in third-world countries, like Bogota, Mexico City, and Islamabad.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like being up here talking about how unsafe and how dirty and disgusting this once beautiful capital was,&rdquo; Trump said during Monday&rsquo;s announcement.<\/p>\n<p>With a population <a href=\"https:\/\/mayor.dc.gov\/release\/new-census-data-shows-dc%E2%80%99s-population-surpasses-700000-first-time-five-years\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">surpassing 700,000 people<\/a> and a total area of 68 square miles (<a href=\"https:\/\/norman.house.gov\/news\/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=590\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">18 times smaller <\/a>than the U.S&rsquo;s smallest state of Rhode Island), D.C.&rsquo;s homelessness <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/news\/best-states\/articles\/states-with-the-most-homeless-people\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rate<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/usafacts.org\/articles\/which-states-have-the-highest-and-lowest-rates-of-homelessness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">is as bad<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huduser.gov\/portal\/sites\/default\/files\/pdf\/2023-AHAR-Part-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">worse<\/a> than it is in states like California and Hawaii.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has already taken steps to aid the mental disorders that cripple many homeless people. On July 24, Trump signed an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/07\/ending-crime-and-disorder-on-americas-streets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">order <\/a>with the purpose of &ldquo;shifting homeless individuals into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-targets-homelessness-in-executive-order-ending-crime-and-disorder-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"... targets ...ness in executi... order \u2018ending ... and disorder\u2019 - ... Examiner\">long-term institutional settings<\/a> for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>D.C.&rsquo;s poverty rate is near <a href=\"https:\/\/fred.stlouisfed.org\/series\/PPAADC11000A156NCEN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">15 percent<\/a> while the U.S.&rsquo;s is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/library\/publications\/2024\/demo\/p60-283.html#:~:text=Official%20Poverty%20Measure:,and%20Table%20A%2D1).\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">11.1 percent<\/a>. The capital of the free world and home base for the American dream has a higher unemployment rate than any state at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/web\/laus\/laumstrk.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">5.9 percent<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p>This past weekend a large<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Wid_Lyman\/status\/1954368256027898335\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> group of teens<\/a> &ldquo;terrorized residents of Navy Yard, launching fireworks, riding dirt bikes, and intimidating law-abiding citizens,&rdquo; with one teen being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox5dc.com\/news\/juvenile-arrested-shooting-other-juveniles-navy-yard-police\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">arrested<\/a> after allegedly shooting a gun at a group of teens, The Federalist&rsquo;s Breccan Thies <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/11\/trump-takes-control-of-dc-police-to-restore-safety-pride-and-beauty-to-nations-capital\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>. A 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/cjcc.dc.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/dc\/sites\/cjcc\/release_content\/attachments\/DC%20Gun%20Violence%20Problem%20Analysis%20Summary%20Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> found that in the United States&rsquo; capital city, &ldquo;66 percent of homicide victims\/suspects and 64 percent of nonfatal shooting victim[s]\/suspects were between the ages of 18-34.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>Pennsylvania Ave<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>New York Ave<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p>D.C. had the<a href=\"https:\/\/usafacts.org\/articles\/which-cities-have-the-highest-murder-rates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> fourth-highest homicide rate<\/a> in the country in 2023 and 2024, according to USA Facts and the Rochester Institute of Technology&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rit.edu\/liberalarts\/sites\/rit.edu.liberalarts\/files\/docs\/CPSI%20Working%20Papers\/2025-02_CPSI%20Working%20Paper_US%20City%20Homicide%20Stats.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Center for Public Safety Initiatives<\/a>. In 2012, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/nation\/la-xpm-2013-jan-01-la-na-nn-washington-dc-2012-homicides-20130101-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">murder rate<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/planning.dc.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/dc\/sites\/op\/publication\/attachments\/2012%20DC%20Population%20Estimate_1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">was<\/a> close to 14 per 100,000 residents, compared to 2024&rsquo;s rate of roughly 27, a near <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Pfeiffer47\/status\/1954946526029259045\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">doubling<\/a> of the murder rate over the last twelve years. This didn&rsquo;t stop MSNBC&rsquo;s Ken Dilanian from <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DilanianMSNBC\/status\/1954917049689645224\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">describing<\/a> crime as having reached &ldquo;historic lows.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p><em>Down the road from the U.S. National Arboretum<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to Metropolitan Police numbers, D.C.&rsquo;s overall crime statistically <a href=\"https:\/\/mpdc.dc.gov\/dailycrime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decreased<\/a> in 2024 compared to 2023, which reflects the trend of crime <a href=\"https:\/\/counciloncj.org\/crime-trends-in-u-s-cities-year-end-2024-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decreasing across the country<\/a>. Notably, a D.C. police commander was suspended in May for allegedly &ldquo;changing crime statistics,&rdquo; NBC4 Washington <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcwashington.com\/news\/local\/dc-police-commander-suspended-crime-statistics\/3959566\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To hear from the people actually living in the District of Columbia, Child Trends &mdash; an organization &ldquo;focused solely on improving the lives of children, youth, and families&rdquo; &mdash; commissioned a team of young adults from Wards 7 and 8 (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.crimedatadc.com\/ward\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">known<\/a> for some of the highest crime in D.C.) to conduct a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.childtrends.org\/publications\/youth-researchers-safety-violence-washington-dc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study<\/a> that gather responses from 157 D.C. locals aged 14 to 70. They found that 46 percent of participants said &ldquo;they had stayed home at least once in the last month because they felt unsafe.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Gunshots outside are part of everyday life,&rdquo; the study stated, despite D.C. having <a href=\"https:\/\/mpdc.dc.gov\/page\/general-requirements-firearms-registration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">strict gun laws<\/a>. &ldquo;More than half of our <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >participating youth reported feeling stressed<\/a> (51%), anxious (80%), or depressed (56%) due to exposure to violence.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p><em>Located in Anacostia in Ward 7<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Washington Post also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/2025\/08\/10\/trump-crime-data-federal-takeover\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">interviewed<\/a> a D.C. local, and the individual said that D.C. is a &ldquo;safe city&rdquo; but asked for &ldquo;anonymity over concerns of personal safety.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>In another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/2025\/08\/06\/trump-dc-federalize-edward-coristine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">article<\/a>, the Post attempted to frame Trump as the one who is disconnected from reality, stating: &ldquo;Overall, violent crime is down 26 percent in the District compared with 2024, according to D.C. police&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mpdc.dc.gov\/dailycrime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">data<\/a>. But when Trump referenced the attempted carjacking in a Truth Social post Tuesday, he described crime in D.C. as &lsquo;out of control.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The New York Times even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/11\/us\/politics\/trump-washington-dc-police.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> Trump&rsquo;s anti-crime initiative an &ldquo;extraordinary exertion of federal power over an American city,&rdquo; saying that Trump is wrongfully portraying &ldquo;Washington as an urban hellscape.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p><em>Outside MLK Library, around the corner from the National Portrait Gallery<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols\/the federalist        <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Despite the clear problems in D.C., legacy media outlets are more focused on downplaying the issues and criticizing Trump for his recent efforts than on solving the capital city&rsquo;s problems.<\/p>\n<p>As I wrote this article, The Federalist&rsquo;s office door &ldquo;was blockaded by a belligerent, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vagrants-block-federalists-office-as-journos-dismiss-crime-in-dc\/\" title=\"Vagrants Block ......s Office As Journos Dismiss ... In DC\">drunk homeless man screaming profanities<\/a>,&rdquo; leaving me trapped inside and my colleague Jacqueline-Annis Leavings outside after her lunch break. After two calls to the D.C. Metropolitan Police and Federalist Correspondent Breccan Thies driving into town to help because the police wouldn&rsquo;t show up, the man finally moved a little way down the street. (See the full article about the experience <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/13\/drunk-belligerent-vagrants-blockade-the-federalists-office-as-leftist-journalists-insist-dc-is-americas-purest-city\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>It&rsquo;s so ridiculous how often I feel scared while interning in DC, the Capitol of the freest country in the world and the home base for the American dream. <\/p>\n<p>How ironic is it that I was trapped in my office while writing an article about the problems libs say Trump made up <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RW2DzymNCk\">https:\/\/t.co\/RW2DzymNCk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&mdash; Abigail Nichols (@gail_m_nichols) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/gail_m_nichols\/status\/1955383251746341138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The capital of the free world, which hosted more than <a href=\"https:\/\/washington.org\/press\/destination-dc-announces-record-visitation-fueling-dcs-economy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">27 million visitors in 2024<\/a>, should be clean and have a low murder rate. Everyone &mdash;including biased media members who work in Washington &mdash; should be celebrating the efforts to make sure D.C. becomes a better city with better opportunities.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<figure>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Abigail Nichols \/ The Federalist       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<hr>\n<p>      Abigail Nichols is a correspondent for The Federalist. She was previously the opinion editor for the University of South Florida&#8217;s student newspaper, The Oracle. She is now working as the business manager at the University of North Florida&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-downplay-motives-of-alien-charged-with-attacking-jews\/\" title=\"Media Downplay Moti...s Of Alien Charged With Attacking Jews\">student-run media outlet<\/a>, Spinnaker Media, while obtaining a Master&#8217;s Degree in Social work.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In one summer in D.C., I saw fights, homelessness, and rats<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3849,"featured_media":2474238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_2291-1-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[56000,5045,5894,3634],"class_list":["post-2474236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-d-c-2","tag-government","tag-politics","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_2291-1-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3849"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2474236"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2474240,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474236\/revisions\/2474240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2474238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2474236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2474236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2474236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}