US President Donald Trump will deploy 800 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to address crime and homelessness in the capital. The federal government will also take control of local police forces, effectively sidelining local government.

This is liberation day for our capital. We are going to save our city from crime, bloodshed, and worse. We want safe streets, we want our citizens to feel safe: right now, that's not possible.

This is how US President Donald Trump began a specially announced press conference at the White House. According to Trump, Washington, D.C., has been an unsafe city to live in or even walk around for too long. Therefore, he is implementing additional security measures.

Trump has decided to take over authority over local police departments from the local government. The federal government will now control the police departments. He is doing this based on the Washington, D.C., Home Rule Act, which transfers certain powers and decision-making authority from Congress to the D.C. government.

In addition, 800 National Guard members will be deployed to"restore public safety." They will likely not be able to make arrests, but rather assist local police and other security services during patrols or in the event of protests against the new measures.

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Gangs, lunatics, and homeless people

During the press conference, Trump cited various figures and statistics intended to demonstrate that Washington, D.C., has become an unsafe city. He claims that the number of murders and violent car thefts has risen sharply in a short period of time.

"The streets have been taken over by violent gangs, drugged-out lunatics and homeless people," Trump said.

"The murder rate is higher than in Bogota (Colombia), Mexico City (Mexico), and Lima (Peru). We can no longer allow this to happen." Trump also stated that his administration has already evacuated several homeless encampments, although it is unclear where those people will be sent.

While crime rates have indeed been exceptionally high in Washington for a long time, there has been a significant drop in crimes reported in recent years and months.

According to The Washington Post, the violent incident rate has dropped from 3.03 per 100,000 people during the pandemic to 1.02 per 100,000 people. According to The New York Times, the murder rate has fallen by 34 percent compared to the first seven months of 2023.

Yesterday, agents from the FBI and DEA, among others, patrolled the streets of Washington DC.

No more Mr. Nice Guy

Even before the president's press conference began, US media reported that National Guard troops were being placed on high alert. Agents from other security agencies—such as the FBI and DEA—also patrolled the streets of Washington last night to combat crime.

Trump has long complained about the sense of insecurity felt by residents of Washington, D.C. His renewed focus on crime in D.C. is partly due to a recent attack on an employee of DOGE, the notorious Agency for Government Efficiency.

The president shared a photo of the bloodied 19-year-old man, who was beaten by a group of youths while trying to steal his car."Local gang members — with members as young as 14, 15, and 16 — are randomly targeting and shooting innocent civilians because they know they'll be released."

On Truth Social, he posted several messages about the"dire" current state of the city. The president wrote, among other things, that he would"make our capital more beautiful and safer than ever before." Along with that message, he posted several photos of tent encampments, homeless people, and trash on the streets."Mr. Nice Guy is done, we want our capital back!"

Federal takeover?

Many see the additional security measures and government intervention as a harbinger of further steps Trump may take in Washington DC.

The president has long threatened a federal takeover of the U.S. capital. Washington, D.C., enjoys a degree of autonomy: the Home Rule Act of 1973 decreed that city residents elect their own local government. This also allows the city to vote on certain laws, allowing Congress to focus more on national issues.

Trump, however, is threatening to revoke those self-determination rights and place D.C. under federal rule. He himself has already indicated that he is exploring the option of repealing the Home Rule Act."We need to govern D.C. This needs to be the best-governed place in our country, not the worst-governed place."

However, if Trump wants to repeal the Home Rule Act, he needs Congressional approval. It's not yet clear how Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate view this option.