Tuesday, August 12, 2025 - President Donald Trump on Monday, August 11 announced plans to place Washington, D.C.’s police force under federal control and deploy the National Guard, framing the move as a campaign to “liberate” the capital from what he calls rising crime and homelessness.
“This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we’re going to take our
capital back,” Trump declared at a White House press conference.
According to CNBC, the administration is weighing the
deployment of up to 1,000 National Guard troops. Trump has also ordered 500
federal officers — including agents from the FBI, DEA, ATF, ICE, and U.S.
Marshals — to patrol the city.
On Truth Social earlier Monday, Trump vowed that “Crime,
Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR” and promised to relocate homeless
residents “far from the Capital.”
The move follows the assault of Edward Coristine, a senior
official at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Trump has
used to justify increased federal law enforcement in the city.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser rejected Trump’s portrayal of the
capital, noting violent crime is down 26% from last year
“People are coming to our capital, starting businesses, and
raising families here. Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and
false,” she said on MSNBC’s The Weekend.
Bowser argues that addressing local crime and homelessness
requires more funding for prosecutors and staffing court vacancies — not
federal troop deployments.
Trump has invoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act of
1973, which allows the president to assume control of the city’s police force
during emergencies such as insurrections or rebellions. The law does not permit
a full takeover of the city’s government and is intended for rare, extreme
situations where local authorities cannot maintain order.
0 Comments