President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is deploying National Guard troops and temporarily taking control of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., in what he described as an effort to restore public safety.
Speaking at a press conference, Trump said the Guard will be “allowed to do their job properly” and that federalizing the city’s police department will give law enforcement “the tools and authority needed” to address crime. The move follows an increase in federal law enforcement presence in the capital over the weekend.
While the National Guard is typically under state control, the District of Columbia’s Guard operates under federal oversight. Trump has previously taken controversial steps to deploy Guard units, including sending troops from California to respond to immigration-related unrest in June without state approval.
The announcement came hours after Trump posted on Truth Social that Washington would be “liberated” from what he called “crime” and “savagery.” The idea of federalizing the city’s police force was first floated last week after an Aug. 3 assault on a former Department of Government Efficiency employee in the Logan Circle neighborhood.
Federal law allows the president to assume temporary control of a local police force in emergencies, though legal challenges could arise over whether D.C.’s current conditions meet that standard.
Despite Trump’s description of the city as “totally out of control,” data from the Metropolitan Police Department shows violent crime in Washington is down 26% compared to the same period in 2024. Assaults with a dangerous weapon have dropped 20%, and homicides are down 12%.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser disputed Trump’s characterization, calling comparisons to a “war-torn country” both “hyperbolic and false.” She also expressed concern that the National Guard might not be the most efficient resource for addressing the city’s public safety needs.
The deployment and federalization measures are set to take effect immediately, though their duration and potential legal challenges remain unclear.
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