Rantz: First 100 days of Donald Trump has meant fewer drug overdoses in Seattle

Thanks to President Joe Biden’s intentionally porous border, fentanyl flooded the streets of Seattle and greater King County. It led to historically high drug fatalities, with overdoses up every year under the Biden administration until he finally closed down the border in 2024 for the presidential election. But thanks to border action in the first 100 days of the Donald Trump administration, we’re seeing a decline in fatal drug overdoses.

There were 276 fatal drug overdoses in King County and Seattle, down from 302 during the same time period last year.

But at the same time, anecdotally, we could be seeing a rise in injected drug use. This may be due to a lower supply of fentanyl coming across the border with Mexico.

Less fentanyl leading to more needles?

Andrea Suarez, founder of We Heart Seattle, says she’s been finding more discarded needles around the homeless than she’s seen in the recent past. Similarly, “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH has seen more discarded needles near encampments and bus stops. Still, fentanyl and methamphetamines dominate the Seattle drug market.

“2021 and 2022 we picked up more than 60,000 needles and then started to see foil blowing down the road like Autum leaves. There was so much foil everywhere. Now we’re seeing a comeback of needles not at the same level but mainly because we’re picking them up versus letting them get accumulated as they had for years in our parks. It’s a comeback, but not anywhere close to a replacement. Most people are still smoking fentanyl,” Suarez explained to “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Public Health of Seattle and King County have not seen an uptick in needle use as judged by the needle exchange programs. A spokesperson says there number of syringes exchanged with the department is similar in Q1 2025 than in 2024.

“The overdose continues to be on the rise because fentanyl is pretty much in everything, including meth, crack-cocaine, and unpredictable amounts because of its illicit nature,” Suarez noted. “People who are using straight fentanyl or fetty powder are less likely or are not overdosing as much as the surprise fentanyl in people who smoke meth as well.”

Trump deserves some credit

Biden’s “open border” turned into a fentanyl firehose that devastated Seattle and much of the United States. President Trump’s first 100 days shut that hose off to a trickle.

In response to his tariff threats and pressure, Mexico deployed 10,000 National Guard troops to its northern border—yet U.S. agents still nabbed roughly 1,630 pounds of fentanyl between January and February 2025, a full 50 percent less than what was seized by the same point in 2024. That’s the result of a withering supply.

There were 26 fewer drug overdose deaths in Seattle. Trump doesn’t deserve all the credit, but he deserves a large chunk of it. This is the direct or indirect result of a no-nonsense border crackdown.

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