{"id":89388,"date":"2025-08-11T22:26:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T22:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=89388"},"modified":"2025-08-11T22:26:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T22:26:00","slug":"trump-deploys-national-guard-to-washington-dc-and-pledges-crime-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=89388","title":{"rendered":"Trump deploys National Guard to Washington DC and pledges crime crackdown"},"content":{"rendered":"
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President Donald Trump said he was deploying the National Guard to Washington DC, and taking control of the city\u2019s police force as he pledged to crack down on crime and homelessness in the city.<\/p>\n

Trump declared a \u201cpublic safety emergency\u201d on Monday, deploying 800 National Guard troops who will bolster hundreds of federal law enforcement officers who were deployed over the weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s becoming a situation of complete and total lawlessness,\u201d he told reporters at the White House.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s Mayor Muriel Bowser has rejected the president\u2019s claims about crime, and while there was a spike in 2023, statistics show it has fallen since then. Violent crime in the city is also at a 30-year low.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m announcing a historic action to rescue our nation\u2019s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse,\u201d Trump said during a news conference in which he was flanked by US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who will lead the city\u2019s police force while it is under federal control.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is liberation day in DC, and we\u2019re going to take our capital back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Trump said Washington DC, had been \u201ctaken over by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals\u201d as well as \u201cdrugged out maniacs and homeless people\u201d.<\/p>\n

According to data from the city\u2019s Metropolitan Police Department, homicides dropped by 32% between 2023 and 2024 and reached their lowest level since 2019.<\/p>\n

There has been another substantial drop this year of 12%, the data shows.<\/p>\n

Mayor Bowser, a Democrat, acknowledged there had been a \u201cterrible\u201d spike in crime in 2023, which mirrored a national trend, but she pushed back against any claims of a crime wave in the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not experiencing a crime spike,\u201d she told MSNBC on Sunday. \u201cThe president is very aware of our efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller\u2019s comment that Washington is more violent than Baghdad, Bowser said, \u201cAny comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Of the 800 National Guard troops who will be activated, between 100-200 will be deployed and supporting law enforcement at any given time, the army said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the National Guardsmen would arrive by the end of the week.<\/p>\n

As well as that deployment, Trump said he would place the city\u2019s police department under direct federal control using the District of Columbia Home Rule Act.<\/p>\n

That act was instituted by former President Richard Nixon to allow residents of Washington DC, which is the only US city that is not in any of the 50 states, to elect a city council and a mayor.<\/p>\n

But it also has a caveat that allows the president to take control of the city\u2019s police force if \u201cspecial conditions of an emergency nature exist\u201d.<\/p>\n

If the president intends to take control for longer than 48 hours, they need to provide a written notice to Congress. And even if that notice is provided, they cannot keep control of the police for longer than 30 days.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, when asked about the possibility of the president taking control of the city\u2019s police department, Mayor Bowser said: \u201cThere are very specific things in our law that would allow [that]. None of those conditions exist in our city right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she was \u201cconcerned\u201d about the National Guard enforcing local laws.<\/p>\n

Bowser gave a news conference later on Monday in which she said the president\u2019s order was \u201cunsettling and unprecedented\u201d.<\/p>\n

She said Trump\u2019s view of the city had been \u201cshaped by his Covid-view experience during his first term\u201d, which she acknowledged was \u201cchallenging times\u201d for the district.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s true we experienced a crime spike post-COVID,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe worked quickly to put laws in place that got violent offenders off our streets,\u201d she added. \u201cWe have seen a huge decrease in crime because of those efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

As well as crime, Trump also spoke at length about homelessness in Washington DC.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting rid of the slums,\u201d he said, without giving further details. He said homeless people would be sent elsewhere but did not say where.<\/p>\n

Trump added that \u201ceverything should be perfect\u201d when dignitaries and foreign leaders visit the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very strong reflection of our country,\u201d he said. \u201cIf our capital is dirty, our whole country is dirty and they don\u2019t respect us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local groups working with homeless people in the capital told the BBC they had actually seen progress in recent years.<\/p>\n

Homelessness is down almost 20% for individuals in Washington DC in 2025 compared to five years ago, said Ralph Boyd, the president and chief executive of So Others Might Eat (SOME) \u2013 a group that provides people in the city with housing, clothing and other social services.<\/p>\n

He also said Trump\u2019s proposal to move people out of the city was not a long-term solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll it will do is transfer the problem somewhere else into communities that are perhaps less equipped to deal with it than we are,\u201d Boyd said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, outside the White House, protesters concerned about Trump\u2019s actions gathered and chanted \u201chands off DC\u201d and \u201cprotect home rule\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump does not care about DC\u2019s safety, he cares about control,\u201d a speaker at the event said.<\/p>\n

The president\u2019s actions follow a series of social media posts in recent days in which he has criticised the running of Washington DC. Trump has long complained about the city\u2019s Democratic leadership for their handling of crime and homelessness.<\/p>\n

He has also expressed concern for a former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) who was attacked in the city last week.<\/p>\n

During Monday\u2019s press conference, Trump said the employee was \u201csavagely beaten by a band of roaming thugs\u201d and was \u201cleft dripping in blood\u201d.<\/p>\n

He also mentioned other federal government employees and elected officials who have been attacked, including a Democratic lawmaker and an intern.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a threat to America,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

The first time Trump deployed the National Guard was in June, when he ordered 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles to deal with unrest over raids on undocumented migrants.<\/p>\n

The last time the National Guard was deployed to Washington DC was in response to the Capitol riot in 2021.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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