President Donald Trump baffled Beverly Hills residents after saying the wealthy West Coast city is so crime-ridden that people leave their car doors and trunks unlocked to avoid having their windows or other parts of their vehicles damaged when thieves show up.
Trump, who once owned a five-bedroom home in Beverly Hills that he sold in 2019 for $13.5 million, made the comments toward the end of a White House meeting earlier this week. During the meeting, he threatened to send National Guard troops to more U.S. cities.
Trump defended his controversial National Guard deployments to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., before pivoting to Beverly Hills. He called the California city “a great place” but said his friends who still live there have complained about crime.
“I have friends, they leave their trunk open for their car because they know they’re going to be vandalized. They don’t want the trunk ripped off in order for them to steal what’s in the back,” Trump said. “So the criminals, when they go and open the door, they don’t have to break the windows and kill the car door to steal whatever it is in the car that they’re looking for.”
Trump also said he had a friend who always left his garage door open “so that people can just walk into his garage and take whatever they want and leave.”
“I’ve been told this by many people, stars, big people, they leave their doors open so the doors aren’t destroyed by these criminals,” Trump added. “All over Los Angeles, this is taking place.”
Therese Kosterman, interim public information manager for the city of Beverly Hills, told the Washington Examiner, “Beverly Hills is not aware of residents intentionally leaving their vehicles unlocked to prevent vandalism.”
However, police data revealed that reported cases of stolen items valued at less than $950 from vehicles in the city have increased. In 2024, there were 472 car thefts, up from 386 in 2023 and 324 in 2022. Overall crime in the city rose in 2022 and 2023 but fell in 2024.
Beverly Hills police officers have focused more on retail crime in the Rodeo Drive area than on car break-ins.
Noah Margo, president of the West Hollywood–Beverly Hills Democratic Club, told the Los Angeles Times that Trump’s remarks were meant to sow division, calling them a “publicity stunt.”
“As far as their validity, I can’t speak for every resident of Beverly Hills, but I would venture to say that most of us keep our vehicles locked,” Margo said.
Margo added that saying Beverly Hills is crime-ridden “tends to reach more people than most other cities might.”
“Although I find it ironic that he picked one of the least crime-affected cities in Los Angeles County,” he said.
Trump’s assessment of Beverly Hills was apparently news to those who live and work in the area.
Ian Campbell, a Rodeo Drive regular who was wearing yellow-tinted Louis Vuitton shades and a leather designer bag, told the Los Angeles Times that the area isn’t known for its crime.
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“I’m here all the time, and it’s always been safe and mostly calm,” Campbell said. “Nothing has changed recently …. I’ve never felt unsafe here.”
An email to Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s (D-CA) office from the Washington Examiner seeking comment was not returned.
