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U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced he would place Washington D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and deploy National Guard troops to the nation's capital, citing concerns about street crime despite data showing violent crime has reached historic lows.
Speaking from the White House briefing room flanked by his defense secretary and attorney general, Trump invoked emergency provisions of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to federalize the city's police force. The president described the capital as overrun by "violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs and homeless people."
Under the Home Rule Act, the president can maintain control of the district's police for 30 days following the date "such services are made available," or until Congress passes legislation ending the takeover.
Defense Department officials said up to several hundred D.C. National Guard troops are expected to support local law enforcement, though they would likely lack arrest authority. The deployment follows the activation of nearly 5,000 Guard troops in Los Angeles over the summer during immigration raids.
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The Trump administration also plans to reassign 120 FBI agents from the Washington field office to nighttime patrol duties as part of the crime crackdown, according to officials familiar with the matter. The agents, primarily investigators rather than patrol officers, would provide additional security while other law enforcement conducts street-level operations.
Trump's characterization of D.C. as crime-ridden contradicts recent crime statistics. While carjackings did spike in 2023, they have declined significantly over the past 18 months. Murders are down 34 percent compared to the first seven months of 2023, and violent crime hit a 30-year low in 2024 before dropping another 26 percent this year, according to Metropolitan Police Department data.
Unlike state governors, D.C.'s mayor lacks control over the National Guard, giving the president broad authority to deploy troops in the district. Trump previously used federal forces to clear peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020 following George Floyd's death.
The president's announcement came after posting on Truth Social that Washington would be "LIBERATED today!" The White House distributed photos of weekend arrests for crimes ranging from drunk driving to narcotics possession to support the administration's public safety narrative.
The federal takeover marks an escalation in Trump's confrontational approach to D.C. governance, with the president repeatedly criticizing city officials over crime rates that federal data shows have been steadily declining.
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