For far too long, Washington, D.C. has been a city where violent criminals roam freely while its Democrat leadership dithers, virtue-signals, and blames everyone but themselves. But for one grieving mother, President Trump’s decisive action to restore law and order in the capital is a ray of hope in the darkness.
Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym knows the pain of D.C.’s crime wave firsthand. Her son, Eric, a bright and patriotic 21-year-old congressional intern, was gunned down in a senseless drive-by shooting while serving his country in the halls of Congress. His killer is still on the loose.
On August 11, 2025 — the very day President Trump took control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard to the streets — Tarpinian-Jachym appeared on Fox News’s *The Story* and delivered an emotional message: the president is “spot on” in his fight to make the District safe again.
“When I heard the news today, and he mentioned my son, not by name, but mentioned the others who have been victims of violent crime, I was so happy,” she said. “I looked at Eric’s ashes and I said, ‘Eric, you haven’t died in vain.’”
She made it clear that Trump’s move is about saving lives, not politics. “Things will change so other people are safe when they go visit D.C. or work in D.C.,” she said. “That’s my goal — to make people safe.”
Tarpinian-Jachym also praised Judge Jeanine Pirro, newly appointed as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, calling her “for victims” and someone who “doesn’t pull punches.” It’s a sharp contrast to the city’s failed leadership under Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has presided over skyrocketing violent crime while fixating on left-wing pet causes like D.C. statehood.
But the pain for this mother remains raw. She revealed she still knows shockingly little about the circumstances of her son’s death — a sign of how broken D.C.’s justice system has become. “I don’t know exactly how many bullets hit my son. All I know is from the death certificate — several bullet wounds. I know nothing, and maybe that’s for the better, so they can catch this person or these persons. I am praying it will happen.”
President Trump himself reached out to Tarpinian-Jachym with a heartfelt letter offering condolences. “While we may never fully understand the impact that Eric has had during his meaningful life, we know he will be remembered for his kindness, faithfulness, and devotion to your family and his many friends,” Trump wrote. He praised Eric’s “commitment to our country” and noted how proud Congressman Ron Estes was to have him represent Kansas’ Fourth District.
When Trump announced the federal takeover of D.C. on Truth Social, he declared boldly: “Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today!” The Defense Department confirmed the National Guard would fill key roles to support law enforcement and provide a strong, visible presence.
For families like the Tarpinian-Jachyms, that liberation can’t come soon enough. While the left wails about “authoritarianism,” parents who have buried their children know the truth: safety is not a partisan issue — it’s the first duty of government. And finally, Washington, D.C. has a leader willing to do something about it.
