--- title: Despite Trump Comment, London Is Safer Than Every U.S. City description: Donald Trump compared a London hospital to a "war zone," but FBI crime data shows London had a lower murder rate than every major U.S. city. canonical: https://time.com/5266759/donald-trump-london-knife-crime-murder-rate/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-05-05T17:15:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T09:08:46.286Z article:section: Politics og:title: Despite What Trump Suggested to the NRA, London Is Safer Than Every U.S. City og:description: New York City's murder rate was nearly three times higher than London in 2017 og:url: https://time.com/5266759/donald-trump-london-knife-crime-murder-rate/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt97fe7ab96f63d8f0/69892f9f97cdff1b986b524b/trump-nra-conference.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: National Rifle Association Holds Its Annual Conference In Dallas, Texas og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Despite What Trump Suggested to the NRA, London Is Safer Than Every U.S. City twitter:description: New York City's murder rate was nearly three times higher than London in 2017 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt97fe7ab96f63d8f0/69892f9f97cdff1b986b524b/trump-nra-conference.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Targeted London's Knife Crime at the NRA — But London's Murder Rate Is Lower Than Every Big U.S. City's > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1d16e0d6-0cdf-4718-b3d6-755582ad45f3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump Targeted London's Knife Crime at the NRA [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Targeted London's Knife Crime at the NRA](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/OwrPqWf9.m3u8) (0:44)  _Published 2018-05-05. President Donald Trump told the NRA convention on Friday that knife crime in London has gotten so bar, one hospital was like “war zone.” But the doctor who may have inspired that comment says the President missed the point entirely._  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. May 5, 2018 5:15 PM UTC  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. May 5, 2018 5:15 PM UTC President Donald Trump told the NRA convention on [Friday that knife crime in London has gotten so bad, one hospital was like “war zone.”](https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/05/politics/trump-london-hospital-nra/index.html) But the doctor who may have inspired that comment says the President missed the point entirely. FBI crime data also shows London had a lower murder rate than every major American city in 2017 – in most cases, far lower. Dr. Martin Griffiths, a trauma surgeon at London’s Barts Health NHS Trust, [in April said](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5581331/London-surgeon-says-regularly-treating-children-school-uniform-gun-knife-wounds.html) colleagues who had served in the military likened the hospital’s daily case load — including an influx of children who were victims of violent crime — to that seen at Camp Bastion Hospital, in Afghanistan. Trump appeared to repurpose that comment while speaking to 8,000 NRA members in Dallas on Friday, referring to the prevalence of knife violence in the U.K., despite the nation’s strict gun laws. [Most guns were banned there](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/5/contents) in 1997. “They don’t have guns. They have knives and instead there’s blood all over the floors of this hospital,” Trump said. “They say it’s as bad as a military war zone hospital … knives, knives, knives. London hasn’t been used to that. They’re getting used to that. It’s pretty tough.” Shortly after Trump’s speech, Griffiths tweeted his disapproval. “Happy to invite Mr Trump to my (prestigious) hospital to meet with our mayor and police commissioner to discuss our successes in violence reduction in London,” he wrote. > [](https://twitter.com/martinpgriff/status/992677599800422400) Dr. Karim Brohi, a trauma surgeon at the Royal London Hospital and the director of London’s major trauma system, also said [in a statement](https://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/news/statement-from-professor-karim-brohi-3306) Saturday that, while knife violence is a serious issue in London, “to suggest guns are part of the solution is ridiculous. Gunshot wounds are at least twice as lethal as knife injuries and more difficult to repair.” It is true, however, that London has seen a recent spike in knife-related crimes. Thirty-one of the 47 murders committed in London this year, as of early April, used knives, [Reuters reported](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-crime-murder/london-murder-rate-overtakes-new-york-as-knife-crime-rises-idUSKCN1HA1DH). That spike in knife violence has led to reports that London’s murder rate now outpaces that of New York City, a city of similar population — and, as Reuters reported, London did see more homicides than New York in both February and March of this year. But despite the recent spike, [the BBC notes](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43628494) that London remains safe compared to American cities. In 2017, London’s murder rate per 100,000 people was 1.2\. New York City’s rate was nearly three times higher, at 3.4\. Baltimore, the deadliest American city in 2017, had a murder rate more than 45 times higher than London’s, according to FBI data. San Diego, the big city with the lowest murder rate in the U.S., still had 2.2 murders per 100,000 people, according to [an analysis from _USA Today_](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/02/19/homicides-toll-big-u-s-cities-2017/302763002/). [Data also suggests](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/compendium/focusonviolentcrimeandsexualoffences/yearendingmarch2016/homicide) that, while U.K. homicide rates have risen over the past four years, they are still well below rates from decades earlier. All the same, the U.K. has recently made efforts to curb knife violence, and [forbids anyone](https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives) from carrying a knife greater than three inches long in public “without a good reason.” In April, after the statistics comparing London and New York’s homicide rates were publicized, London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted that, “There is never a reason to carry a knife. Anyone who does will be caught, and they will feel the full force of the law.” > [](https://twitter.com/MayorofLondon/status/982906526334668800) ## Transcript I recently read a story, that in London, which has unbelievably tough gun laws a once very prestigious hospital. Right in the middle. Is like a war zone for horrible stabbing wounds. Yes that's right They don't have guns. They have knives. And instead, there's blood all over the floors of this hospital. They say it's as bad as a military war zone hospital, knives, knives, knives. London hasn't been used to that. They're getting used to it. 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