President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi dropped a massive bomb during a press briefing when a reporter called for justice after being attacked by a group of “teenage thugs” in Washington, D.C., prompting the president and his attorney general to vow that the criminals in the nation’s capital will be held accountable and hit with serious charges.
For background, during a White House press briefing on August 11, 2025, President Trump and top members of his cabinet, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, spoke in detail about their plan to stop the rampant violence in Washington, D.C. When a reporter recounted how he was attacked by a group of young criminals on the streets of D.C., the president and his top officials responded by promising judicial reform that will stop such incidents from happening.
During the press briefing, the president appeared to grow impatient with frequent questions about the federalization of Washington, D.C., telling reporters, “I’m going to suggest, because could you, do you have any other questions on D.C.? Because I don’t want them.” He added, “I don’t want them to be, wait, wait, wait, these are, these are incredible people. I don’t want them to be standing up here on subjects. Does anybody have a question of them?”
In response, a reporter told the president that he had a “personal” question, saying, “Last year, I was robbed on the streets by one of these teenage thugs. Had a gun, got away with it.” The reporter continued, “Let’s talk about the effort that between law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges, because it’s a…recycling belt, like these kids…don’t fear the police.”
Continuing, the reporter told the president and his cabinet, “If you talk about how we’ve got to get these judges and put these kids behind bars — adult crimes deserve adult penalties.” Replying, District Judge Jeanine Pirro told the reporter, “Here’s the problem. Assuming that they’re 17 years…older than 17 years old, I can get the case. If they’re under 18 years of age…I can’t get it.”
Explaining further, Judge Pirro said that the law “has to be changed,” adding, “So, if we work hard, we get a conviction, they want to wipe it out. So, that needs to be changed.” Adding to Judge Pirro’s comments, AG Bondi said that despite the legal restrictions, “We’re going to charge them and we’re going to track every single thing they do throughout every step of the court process and report back to you and let all of you know what’s happening to them.”
Furthermore, the attorney general said that in addition to the criminals running rampant in Washington, the judges in charge of prosecutions “also need to be held accountable.” Likewise, Judge Pirro said that policies like cashless bail would need to be reverted to stop the wave of crime in D.C. Judge Pirro added, “The D.C. Council has given the judges the ability to give probation on shootings, and so then it’s up to them.”
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Notably, the press briefing followed President Trump’s decision to federalize Washington, D.C., based on rising crime rates. On August 12, 2025, the president ordered members of the National Guard to support D.C.’s police force. The Department of Defense confirmed that the Guard would be handling “administrative and logistical roles, as well as providing a physical presence in support of law enforcement.”
Watch a clip from the press briefing:
Featured image credit: video screengrab