A video showing Fox News anchor Brett Baier being pulled over by a Metropolitan Police officer went viral on Monday, as President Donald Trump has increased the police presence in Washington, D.C. in an attempt to decrease violent crime there.

In the video, Baier is seen handing paperwork to the officer while pulled off on the side of the road.

After social media followers displayed their insatiable curiosity about what occurred, Baier released a statement on Tuesday to explain.

Caught on his phone

"I picked up my ringing phone as I drove past an officer while driving my wife’s car in Georgetown," Baier wrote on X about the incident.

He said he hadn't been aware that cameras caught his interaction with the officer, but that the officer was "very professional" during the stop.

"He pointed to have me pull over - I did. He was very professional,"Baier revealed.

"I had to dig for the registration card. Got a ticket and left. I didn’t know there was paparazzi," the host added.

User responses

When an X user said that Baier looked like he was "scowling," Baier said it was because he didn't have his reading glasses on to read the registration card.

In response to another user who suggested Baier use Bluetooth to be hands-free when using his cell phone in the car, he said, "Already done. That day. Thanks."

It is illegal to use a cell phone while driving in Washington, D.C. unless it is used hands-free, though that is hardly the type of criminal activity that inspired President Donald Trump's crackdown in the city.

Violent crimes such as armed robbery, shootings, stabbings, assaults, and others that result in harm to another person have been an ongoing problem in D.C., and Trump had enough of it after one of his most-prized DOGE staffers was beaten by teens attempting to carjack him and his girlfriend.

Not safe

High-profile incidents like this have made the public feel unsafe in Washington, and Trump doesn't think it should be that way.

Many tourists come through the city, and he wants it to look its best and be a place Americans can be proud of because it is safe and attractive for them and for the residents who live and work there.

If the 1,100 National Guard troops now on the streets of Washington can't restore order, it probably can't be done, Baier's phone use notwithstanding.