A little more than a week ago, New York Times White House correspondent and DNC stenographer Peter Baker noted that ever since President Donald Trump federalized the Washington, D.C. police force and sent in the National Guard to get crime out of control, restaurants in D.C. had seen business plummet by 25 percent. Baker was busted for comparing data from Summer Restaurant Week last year to a non-Restaurant Week this year.
Baker must have been stung by the replies to his post, because he's at it again, pointing to a New York Times story about reservations for Summer Restaurant Week being 25 percent lower than last year's Restaurant Week. "As troops walk the streets, Washington restaurants report a slump," the Times reports.
With troops sent by Trump into the streets of Washington, reservations to restaurants for this year’s Restaurant Week are 24% lower than those during Restaurant Week 2024. There was also a 7% drop from the week before troops arrived, Korsha Wilson reports. https://t.co/HrdHozla7H
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) August 26, 2025
Did Baker happen to hear about the 12-day streak with no homicides?
No murders for 12 days but this asshole demands people die because Trump bad https://t.co/SncJmEXvsv
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) August 26, 2025
But reservations are down! Certainly a few people can die to save the restaurant industry.
— Jesse Miller (@jmiller_dot_com) August 26, 2025
Correlation is not causation. Are the troops scaring people away from the restaurant district?
Reservations are one metric, but how much are patrons spending now that they don’t have to dodge gunfire and people screaming at them while sitting on the patio dining?
— Benny Armstrong (@barmstrong2185) August 26, 2025
Hey, maybe there are zero murders and carjackings but you are not considering the affluent urban class not going to restaurants because Trump bad.
— Whiskey Disco (@TexasRingo76) August 26, 2025
In the full context of the stats, Baker is definitely cherry picking.
— Like'emCrawdads (@ThisBeLikeThat) August 26, 2025
What's the % drop on carjackings, murders, assaults, and robberies?
— Red Dot in a Blue Dot in a Red State (@reddotaustintx) August 26, 2025
Imagine a brain so broken that you’d stop going out to eat because of visible law enforcement presence.
— often uncommon 🏴☠️ (@oftenuncommon) August 26, 2025
Bro this is getting embarrassing
— Joe Jackson (@joe_jack1988) August 26, 2025
What an incredibly tone-deaf, elitist take. No murders in nearly two weeks, but......RESTAURANT WEEK. Honestly, this is an awful look.
— Adam Geller (@adamhgeller) August 26, 2025
How many people have been murdered, mugged, or carjacked going to a restaurant this week?
— SenChasSumner (@SenCharlesSumn1) August 26, 2025
Even the "source" of this claim says this isn't true 🤣 pic.twitter.com/c1PDeO3khV
— Speaking My Mind (@sherryande) August 26, 2025
So 24% drop in reservations > 100% drop in murderers.
— WayneMustang (@BourbonWayne) August 26, 2025
Good use of math Peter.
The New York Times is determined to make some connection here to make it sound like the National Guard troops are scaring people away from upscale restaurants. We guess they'd rather have the crime back.
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