White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields told Newsmax on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s efforts at reducing crime in the nation’s capital is not an effort to end the District of Columbia’s more than 50 years of self governance.

“Not at all,” Fields told “The Record With Greta Van Susteren.” “And the sad reality is, if D.C. [were] a state, it would actually have the highest crime rate out of any of the states. You’ve seen a breakdown in the leadership, total incompetence from a host of people here in the city that have allowed this city to kind of go downhill.

“If you look at polls, these aren’t right-wing polls. This is the Washington Post polling D.C. residents. A vast majority of them do not feel safe. It’s unexplainable why they’ve allowed that to happen. D.C. also is one of the most expensive cities to live in. If you’re paying an average rent [of] about $2,300 [a month] and you’re fearful about getting shot once you leave your apartment building, that’s a problem.

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