Former US senator mugged on street hits out at Trump for claiming defunding police led to crime

Former president says city has become ‘paradise for criminals’

A former US Senator who was recently mugged has hit out at Donald Trump for suggesting the crime was a result of Democrats calling for defunding of the police.

Barbara Boxer, 80, revealed that she was assaulted and robbed of her mobile phone on Monday in Oakland.

Following news of the incident, Mr Trump released a statement acknowledging the crime and noting that it took place “where they defunded the police”.

“Our once great cities, like New York, Detroit, San Francisco, and so many others, have become a paradise for criminals because of Democrats,” he said.

In response to the statement in an appearance on CNN on Tuesday, the former lawmaker hit back at Mr Trump, saying he had no grounds for criticism following his own record on crime.

“Former President Trump has a horrible record of when he was president,” she said in the interview.

She continued: “The murder rate went way up, crimes with guns went way up, and hate crimes went up 20 per cent. So he has literally no standing.”

Host Erin Burnett posed crime statistics to the former lawmaker, illustrating that homicides have increased 69 per cent since the year before, while assaults with a gun are up 58 per cent.

“I feel we need more money for community policing. We need more officers on the street,” said Ms Boxer in response.

She explained: “We need them to be from the community, by the community, for the community.”

The robbery is under investigation by the Oakland Police Department (OPD), who are offering a $2,000 (£1,499) reward for information.

“I’m not physically hurt at all, I’m just shook up,” Ms Boxer told KPIX. The assailant is said to have pushed her in the back before taking the phone and fleeing in a car.

Ms Boxer represented California in the US Senate from 1993 until 2017. The Democrat did not seek reelection in 2016.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press