President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to demand the elimination of cashless bail, saying the policy has failed and is endangering public safety.
“Crime in American Cities started to significantly rise when they went to CASHLESS BAIL,” President Trump posted on Monday. “The WORST criminals are flooding our streets and endangering even our great law enforcement officers. It is a complete disaster, and must be ended, IMMEDIATELY!”
Trump’s message echoes concerns he has voiced repeatedly on the campaign trail. At a Bronx rally in May of last year, Trump decried “radical left pro-crime policies” that he said have “destroyed” cities like New York.
“You know the names of these lunatic policies: No cash bail… defund our great police, sanctuary cities, release violent repeat offenders from jail,” Trump asserted at the time. He pointed to the tragic death of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller — fatally shot during a traffic stop in March by a suspect with 21 prior arrests — as a direct consequence of these policies. “These dangerous and violent repeat offenders should never have been on our streets. Jonathan should be alive today, but they were released again and again and again,” he stated.
The state of New York eliminated cash bail for most non-violent offenses in 2019. In Illinois, the Democrat-controlled legislature and Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) abolished cash bail entirely in 2023, despite warnings from prosecutors that it would create chaos. McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally observed the new system produced “absurd” and “incoherent” outcomes on day one.
Since then, a pattern of reoffending has emerged.
In Chicago, 43-year-old James Tolbert was released after Illinois eliminated cash bail and was accused of shoplifting or robbing stores 12 times, including incidents at Macy’s and Sunglass Hut. He was later arrested after allegedly stealing sunglasses worth over $2,000, kicking a loss prevention agent, and being found with metal knuckles connected to a switchblade and a credit card that did not belong to him.
Another offender, Juvenal Coronel, was arrested five times within the first month of Illinois’ new system and released each time. He faces battery charges for allegedly slapping women, punching a car window, and hitting a 14-year-old boy with a rake.
Even when prosecutors urged judges to keep Coronel in custody, courts allowed him to walk free.
A study from Yolo County, California, found more than 70 percent of suspects released without bail were rearrested for additional crimes — including violent offenses like rape, robbery, and attempted homicide. The report noted a 163 percent increase in total crime and a 200 percent increase in violent crime under the no-bail policy compared to traditional bail systems.
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