Trump takes a dim view of Beverly Hills

Wealthy enclave is crime-ridden, he says. Officials and residents are taken aback.

- KAREN GARCIA AND CHRISTOPHER BUCHANAN

"I'VE NEVER felt unsafe here," one Rodeo Drive regular said in Beverly Hills. Above, pedestrians in the city.

President Trump this summer has railed against American cities he says are beset by crime and disorder.

Los Angeles: “Lawless.”

Chicago: “A killing field.”

Baltimore: “A hell hole.”

Washington: "Out of control."

But Beverly Hills?

As the president this week threatened to send National Guard and other troops to more American cities, he has some choice words about the wealthy enclave where he once owned a home. During an Oval Office talk in which he defended troop deployments in Los Angeles and Washington, the conversation suddenly turned to Beverly Hills.

Trump called the city "a great place" but noted he has friends who leave the trunk and doors of their cars open because they know they're going to be vandalized and don’t want to risk getting the windows or other parts of their vehicles damaged.

“They don’t want the trunk ripped off in order for them to steal what's in there, in the back,” he said.

The president also said another friend of his leaves his garage door open, “so that people can just walk into his garage and take whatever they want and leave.”

In a city that prides itself on its opulent image, the comments took officials by surprise.