August 11, 2025
A federal takeover of the D.C. police force would be an extraordinary assertion of power.
President Donald Trump announced a significant federal intervention into the District of Columbia’s public safety and urban landscape, stating at a White House news conference that he would federalize the city’s police force and deploy the National Guard.
The move, described as a crime-fighting effort, also includes a campaign to remove homeless encampments across the nation’s capital. The move, described as a crime-fighting effort, also includes a campaign to remove homeless encampments across the city.
Real talk- though it’s purely speculative, the video below may be the reason why Trump’s trying to feign concern for D.C. residents’ public safety.
The announcement was made without prior coordination with the city’s leadership, according to The Washington Post. A spokesperson for D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s office said the administration had not been briefed on any plans to deploy the National Guard to the city. A senior official with the D.C. police department, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also confirmed that the administration had not consulted the department—the chief law enforcement agency for local crime—on how to best deploy these federal resources.
A federal takeover of the D.C. police force is an extraordinary assertion of power. Because Washington, D.C., is not a state, the federal government has authority to control city affairs, often overriding objections from local leaders and residents despite the 1973 Home Rule Act, which granted the city the right to elect its own mayor and council members.
The president’s move has immediately sparked a debate over federal overreach and local autonomy. Critics point to the city’s political status, arguing that a federal takeover of the police force would be an unprecedented use of power that undermines the very limited self-governance granted to D.C. residents. The lack of consultation with local officials raises questions about the operational effectiveness and legality of such a move. At the same time, the plan to remove homeless encampments without specifying where residents would be relocated has drawn concern from advocates and city officials alike.
In addition to the National Guard and D.C. police, the president’s directive will also involve agents from the FBI and other federal agencies. The FBI, which is dispatching agents from outside the city, including Philadelphia, stated that its agents would “continue to participate in the increased federal law enforcement presence in D.C., which includes assisting our law enforcement partners.”
While federal land is scattered across Washington, D.C., and local and federal law enforcement often cooperate, the U.S. Park Police and Secret Service typically handle street patrol. The FBI’s role in this operation would be a departure from its usual duties, with sources noting their potential support role during traffic stops. A White House official, speaking anonymously, said the Secret Service and the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division have also been directed to launch special patrols.
The president also focused on the city’s homeless population, pledging to remove encampments from parks and public spaces.
“We’re going to be removing homeless encampments from all over our parks, our beautiful, beautiful parks, which now a lot of people can’t walk on,” Trump said, calling the public grounds “very dirty.”
He continued, “We’re moving the encampments away, trying to take care of people. There are many places that they can go, and we’re going to help them as much as you can help, but they’ll not be allowed to turn our capital into a wasteland for the world to see.”
The unqualified commander-in-chief did not specify where the homeless individuals would be relocated.
Broadening his focus beyond the capital, Trump indicated he might impose similar plans in other major cities. “Other cities are hopefully watching this,” he said. “Maybe, they’ll self-clean up, and maybe they’ll self-do this and get rid of the cashless bail thing and all of the things that caused the problem.”
He continued, “They’re watching us today, and if they don’t learn their lesson, if they haven’t studied us properly, because we’re going to be very successful. I have zero doubt about that. If we need to, we’re gonna do the same thing in Chicago, which is a disaster. We have a mayor there who’s totally incompetent.”
Trump also said local law enforcement, under “proper leadership,” will “immediately begin massive enforcement operations targeting known gangs, drug dealers, and criminal networks, to get them the hell off the street, maybe get them out of the country, because a lot of them came into our country illegally.”
A White House official, in a statement, reiterated Trump’s commitment to the initiative. “We won’t get ahead of the President on any potential announcements, but the President has been clear that all options are on the table when it comes to making DC safe again.”
The irony of all of this is that D.C. has experienced a significant drop in crime, according to a January report from the Department of Justice.
According to data collected by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and announced by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves, total violent crime for 2024 is down 35% from 2023, reaching its lowest point in over 30 years. Specifically, homicides are down 32%, robberies are down 39%, armed carjackings are down 53%, and assaults with a dangerous weapon are down 27%.
“The strategy this Office began to employ shortly after I came into this role has been to work with our law enforcement partners to focus on the drivers of violence —those gangs or crews of people who are dealing drugs, protecting turf, committing carjackings and other robberies, all while armed,” said Graves. “It takes time to develop these investigations and prosecutions, but this is the fruit of that labor—a reduction in the violent crime—that D.C. is now seeing.”
RELATED CONTENT: The Junkyard Band And DC Take Over Miami To Celebrate 50 Years Of Go-Go
