Did DJT write, "Besides 14 is old enough to make your own decisions"?

1. What the reporting actually documents: Trump’s call to prosecute from age 14

News outlets cite Trump urging that D.C. laws be changed so youths "starting at age 14" can be tried as adults and locked up for long terms. The Hill reproduces a Truth Social post saying "The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these ‘minors’ as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14" ^[1]. Local TV and radio accounts similarly report he argued some local "youths" as young as 14 are committing violent crimes and should face adult prosecutions ^{[2] [3]}.

2. The exact phrase you asked about is not present in these sources

None of the supplied articles quotes Trump saying the sentence "Besides 14 is old enough to make your own decisions." The available sources quote formulations about trying 14‑year‑olds as adults or saying crime by 14‑year‑olds is occurring; they do not show the specific wording you supplied (not found in current reporting).

3. How outlets framed Trump’s remarks and the surrounding debate

Mainstream outlets presented Trump’s remarks as part of a broader push to federalize D.C. or override local juvenile-justice reforms; The Hill and WUSA9 emphasize his threat to end D.C. home rule if the District doesn't act ^{[1] [2]}. Audacy and CNN summarized his position as advocating prosecution of "criminals as young as 14" ^{[3] [4]}. Reporting often pairs his calls with quotes from local officials and experts who warn about the complexities of juvenile justice and emphasize protections or declining youth arrest rates ^{[4] [5]}.

4. Competing perspectives in the coverage

Some coverage amplifies Trump’s law-and-order framing: he and allies argue tougher measures are necessary because youths allegedly commit violent acts and "know nothing ever happens to them" unless laws change ^{[1] [2]}. Other reports present pushback: D.C. officials and juvenile-justice advocates note decreases in youth arrests, the scientific rationale for treating youth differently, and local control concerns; CNN and The New York Times provide voices emphasizing those counterarguments ^{[4] [5]}.

5. Conflations and related but distinct claims in other reporting

Separate reporting and fact-checking threads discussed different claims tied to youth-age policy: for example, some articles investigated assertions about Republican efforts to lower marriage age or age-of-consent rules and labeled those as contested or false in context, though those topics are distinct from the D.C. prosecution debate ^[6]. The Yahoo/Canada piece highlights pushback from GOP spokespeople calling some allegations "a blatant lie," illustrating how related narratives were disputed ^[6].

6. Why the exact wording matters — and how to verify it

When verifying whether a public figure "wrote" or "said" a precise sentence, the press typically relies on original posts, transcripts, or direct quotes in published stories. The supplied sources reproduce Trump's statements about prosecuting from age 14 but do not reproduce the exact wording you asked about, so a claim that he wrote that precise sentence is not supported by these pieces ^{[1] [2] [3]}. To confirm verbatim speech or text you should check the primary source (e.g., archived Truth Social post or full press-conference transcript); those primary documents are not included in the material you provided (not found in current reporting).

7. Bottom line for readers

Reporting uniformly documents Trump advocating that D.C. change its laws so 14‑year‑olds can be tried as adults ^{[1] [2] [3]}. However, the exact quote you supplied — "Besides 14 is old enough to make your own decisions" — does not appear in the provided articles; available sources either do not include that phrasing or do not mention it (not found in current reporting). If you need a definitive verbatim source, consult the original Truth Social post or a full transcript of the remarks; those primary texts are not in the supplied set of reports.