After Helping Spawn Record Crime Wave, GOP Run From 'First Step Act' They Once Championed

When Donald Trump signed a long-sought criminal justice reform measure into law in 2018, he had visions of using the legislation to make major inroads with Black and moderate swing voters.

The First Step Act was not just hailed as a rare bipartisan achievement for the 45th president but as the beginning of a major shift in GOP politics, one that would move the party past the 1980s tough-on-crime mindset to a focus on rehabilitation, racial fairness and second chances.

Three-and-a-half years later, few Republicans — Trump included — seem not at all interested in talking about it.

With spikes in crime registering as a top concern for voters, Republicans have increasingly reverted back to that 1980s mindset. Talk of additional legislation has taken a back seat to calls for enhanced policing and accusations that Democratic-led cities are veering toward lawlessness.

Trump himself rarely, if ever, mentions criminal justice reform when he issues statements or gives political speeches, having grown convinced the First Step Act never produced the spike in support from Black voters that he expected.

While it didn't go as far as advocates hoped, the First Step Act was widely regarded as a significant overhaul of the criminal justice system. The law aimed to shorten sentences for nonviolent drug offenders and improve incarceration conditions at the federal level, and sought to address racial inequalities in the justice system.

While he had branded himself as a tough-on-crime Republican, getting Trump on board wasn't simple. Then-Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, labored to convince him that embracing criminal justice reform wouldn't tarnish his image — and could even be a political boon. The support of influential conservatives, and celebrities like Kim Kardashian, further convinced Trump the move would win over certain demographics.

In the past year, violent crime rates have risen dramatically, with at least 12 major U.S. cities breaking annual homicide records in 2021. Recent polling reflects public concerns about rising crime rates and dissatisfaction with how public leaders are addressing the problem. Republicans pointed to the trends as evidence of a Democratic failure.

"After blocking common sense police reform, enacting soft-on-crime policies, and cheering to defund the police, [President Joe] Biden and Democrats' words and actions have come to fruition as American cities face record surges in crime," said Republican National Committee spokesperson Emma Vaughn. "Democrats may be too out of touch surrounded by private security to know the reality of rising crime, but for Americans the consequences of their policies are very real."

Republicans aren't alone in tightening their messaging. In major Democrat-led cities like San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C., leaders are calling for more, not less, police funding. Biden, who ran in 2020 on increasing police budgets, has continued pushing for more money, even calling on states to use Covid-19 aid to hire more law enforcement officers.