Trump deploys National Guard to Washington, D.C. and promises criminal crackdown

President Donald Trump said he is deploying the National Guard to Washington, D.C. and taking control of the city’s police force, and he promises to fight crime and homelessness in the city.

Trump declared a “public safety emergency” on Monday, deploying 800 National Guards to strengthen hundreds of federal law enforcement officers deployed over the weekend.

“It has become a completely impossible situation,” he told reporters at the White House.

The city’s mayor Muriel Bowser rejected the president’s claims about crime, and despite a surge in 2023, statistics show that it has declined since then. The city’s violent crime is also at a 30-year low.

“I announced a historic action to get our nation’s capital from crime, blood, bed and dirty, and so on, and worse,” Trump said in a press conference.

“This is the liberation day in Washington, D.C. and we will take back our capital,” he said.

Trump said Washington, D.C. was “taken over by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals” and “drug-addicted lunatics and homeless people.”

Homicides fell 32% between 2023 and 2024 and reached their lowest level since 2019, according to the city’s Metropolitan Police Department.

Data shows that 12% fell 12% this year.

Democratic mayor Mayor Bowser acknowledged that crime rates in 2023 were a “terrible” surge, reflecting the national trend, but she opposed any demands for the city’s crime wave.

“We didn’t experience crime problems,” she told MSNBC on Sunday. “The president is very familiar with our efforts.”

Asked about White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller’s comment on Washington being more violent than Baghdad, Ball said: “Any comparison with war-torn nations is hyperbolic and false.”

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also criticized Trump’s move and said “no legal basis.”

“The Trump administration has been violating the law and the Constitution to further develop into the king’s personal and political agenda,” Jeffries said. “At the same time, Donald Trump and the cowardly Republicans have not done anything that makes everyday Americans more affordable.”

The Army said in a statement that of the 800 National Guards to be activated, 100-200 people will be deployed at any given time and supports law enforcement.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the National Guard will arrive this weekend.

In addition to deployment, Trump also said he would use the District of Columbia Family Ruling Act to directly control the New York City Police Department.

The bill was enacted by former President Richard Nixon, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect city council and mayor.

But if there is a “special condition of an emergency nature”, it also has a warning that allows the president to control the city’s police force.

If the president intends to control for more than 48 hours, a written notice is required to be provided to Congress. Even with the notice provided, they could not control the police for more than 30 days.

Asked on Sunday about the possibility that the president would control the city’s police department, Mayor Bowser said: “There are some very specific things in our law that can allow [that]. None of these conditions exists at present. ”

She said she was “concerned” about the National Guard that enforced local laws.

Bowser held a press conference late Monday, saying the president’s order was “disturbing and unprecedented.”

She said Trump’s perception of the city was “shaping of his shared viewing experience during his first semester,” which she acknowledged was “a challenging time” for the region.

“Indeed, we’ve experienced a post-mixed crime spike,” she said.

“We have worked quickly to create laws that remove violent offenders from the streets,” she added. “We have seen a huge reduction in crime due to these efforts.”

In addition to crime, Trump also spoke in detail about the homeless people in Washington, D.C.

“We got out of the slums,” he said, saying homeless people would be sent elsewhere, but didn’t say where they were.

Trump added that when nobility and foreign leaders visit the city, “everything should be perfect.”

“This is a very strong reflection of our country,” he said. “If our capital is dirty, our entire country is dirty, they don’t respect us.”

Local groups working with homeless people in the capital told the BBC they have actually seen progress in recent years.

The homelessness in Washington, D.C. has dropped nearly 20% compared to five years ago, with Ralph Boyd, president and CEO who may eat, a group that provides housing, clothing and other social services to people in the city.

He also said Trump’s proposal to drive people out of cities is not a long-term solution.

“What it has to do is shift the problem to communities that may be less capable than we do,” Boyd said.

Meanwhile, outside the White House, protesters fear Trump’s actions gathered and chanted “DC” and “protecting family rule.”

“Trump doesn’t care about DC’s safety, he cares about control,” said one speaker.

The president’s move follows a series of social media posts in recent days, where he criticized the operation of Washington, D.C. Trump has long complained about the city’s democratic leadership in order to deal with crime and homelessness.

He also expressed concern for former employees of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) who was attacked last week in the city.

During a press conference on Monday, Trump said the employee was “beaten by a group of roaming mobs” and “bleeded.”

He also mentioned other federal government employees and elected officials who were attacked, including Democratic lawmakers and interns.

“This is a threat to the United States,” Trump said.

Trump first deployed the National Guard in June when he ordered 2,000 National Guards to go to Los Angeles to resolve the unrest in the attack on undocumented immigrants.

The National Guard was last deployed to Washington, D.C. in response to the Capitol riots in 2021.

Other reports with Madeline Halpert