President Trump targets cities that allow cashless bail

Trump signs order ending cashless bail for DC

Trump was joined by Vice President JD Vance and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump signed an order to crack down on flag burning. Defense Secretary Hegseth was present in the Oval Office as well.

WASHINGTON - On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at eliminating cashless bail for suspects in Washington, D.C., along with a separate order seeking to end the policy nationwide.

Earlier Monday, Fox News confirmed that Trump planned to end cash bail policies nationwide by threatening to cut off federal funding to jurisdictions that maintain them.

What they're saying:

"We are at a point where Washington is booming again," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office before signing the orders. "People are pouring in like we haven't seen for years."

RELATED: Experts warn of disturbing trend in random attacks across America: 'Nothing matters'

"Every place in the country where you have no-cash bail is a disaster," Trump previously said, specifically naming New York and Chicago. "I mean, bad politicians started it, bad leadership started it. But that was the one thing that's central. No-cash bail. Somebody murders somebody and they're out on no-cash bail before the day is out."

President Donald Trump (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

What is cashless bail?

Dig deeper:

Cashless bail is a system that removes the requirement of paying money, or posting cash bail, in order to be released from jail before trial.

In 2023, Illinois became the first state to completely eliminate cash bail when the state Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the law abolishing it.

RELATED: Harjinder Singh: Nearly 2.5M people sign petition supporting driver accused in deadly Florida crash

A number of other jurisdictions, including New Jersey, New Mexico and Washington, D.C., have nearly eliminated cash bail or limited its use. Many include exceptions for high-level crimes.

Opposing views on cashless bail 

What they're saying:

Proponents of eliminating cash bail describe it as a penalty on poverty, suggesting that the wealthy can pay their way out of jail to await trial while those with fewer financial resources have to sit it out behind bars. 

Critics have argued that bail is a time-honored way to ensure defendants released from jail show up for court proceedings. They warn that violent criminals will be released pending trial, giving them license to commit other crimes.

By the numbers:

The Data Collaborative for Justice concluded in February 2024 that "the elimination of money bail increased recidivism for people charged with nonviolent felonies, with recent criminal history, and with a recent violent felony arrest, while it decreased recidivism for people charged with misdemeanors and people with no recent criminal history."