Donald Trump wants to eradicate crime in the city where he lives. In a decision as historic as it is unusual, the president of the United States announced this Monday that, effective immediately, the White House will assume control of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Force to end the crime that he said is"out of control" in the nation's capital. He also announced that he will deploy 800 National Guard troops to try to stop"bloodthirsty criminals" and "roaming mobs of wild youth," in an interference improper of the functions of the White House and a new display of force by the Government in one of the largest cities in the country, as already happened in Los Angeles last May.
With his usual hyperbolic rhetoric, Trump painted a gruesome picture of the streets of Washington that contrasts with official figures, suggesting the homicide rate is higher than some of the"worst places on Earth." However, according to numbers released by the District of Columbia Attorney's office in January, violent crime in the city hit its lowest level in 30 years, down 35% from 2023. Homicides were down 32%, robberies down 39%, and carjackings at gunpoint down 53%.
The Republican, however, sees a different reality, one dangerous enough to prompt him to deploy FBI agents, some 120 in total, and coordinate efforts with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has confirmed that National Guard troops will be moving through the capital in the coming days. Trump also hasn't ruled out involving military personnel if necessary, declaring a public safety emergency in the city and invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which gives him the authority to temporarily take control of the department.
Unlike the states, the president is free to deploy the National Guard to the District of Columbia, where there is no governor. Trump has made it clear, however, that he does not appear willing to be deterred by any restrictions, as he demonstrated by sending 5,000 National Guard members and Army Marines to Los Angeles to quell protests over his mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in the California city.
Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, will be in charge of coordinating the government's takeover of the Metropolitan Police Force, with Terry Cole, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, serving as acting federal commissioner. Trump has not clarified how long this unprecedented situation will continue or what implications it will have for the Police Department. He did say that the nation's capital"is dirty," like the rest of the country,"and people don't respect us." Stephen Miller, his deputy chief of staff, went further, comparing Washington to Baghdad, the Iraqi capital."Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false," said Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, who has criticized the president's decision to assume control of the local police force.
Protests against the decision were swift in the streets of Washington. A group of demonstrators gathered with signs in front of the White House to reject the deployment of the National Guard. Trump has already warned that he will not allow interference in the work of the National Guard to help restore law, order, and public safety in Washington, DC, giving them carte blanche to do"whatever they want."
Ironically, the last major disruption to public order in Washington occurred on January 6, 2021. It was the storming of the Capitol by the mob of Trump supporters that the president had instigated with his speech hours earlier. Many of those responsible for the assault eventually received presidential pardons.
