Trump Moves to Take Control of D.C. Police, Deploys National Guard
- The New York Editorial Desk - Arif
- Aug 11
- 3 min read
Tone & Political Bias: Strongly Right-Leaning
Why: The language and framing highlight crime and chaos in a Democratic-led city despite official crime statistics showing record lows.
Federal Control and Troop Deployment
President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is placing Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and deploying 800 National Guard troops to the U.S. capital. He said the move is necessary to restore “law, order, and public safety,” describing the city as overrun by violent gangs and criminals.
Standing alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump said the Guard will assist in combating what he called a “wave of lawlessness.” Bondi will oversee the police department during the federal takeover.
Contradictory Crime Data
The move comes despite data from D.C.’s police department showing violent crime in the city is at its lowest level in over 30 years. Violent crime fell 35% in 2024 and another 26% in the first seven months of 2025. Overall crime dropped 7% this year.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, rejected Trump’s claims of a crime surge, saying the city is not experiencing a spike and that the statistics prove otherwise.
Broader Federal Authority Push
Trump’s announcement marks his latest attempt to assert greater federal control over Democratic-run cities. He has suggested in recent days that he may seek to remove D.C.’s local autonomy entirely by overturning the Home Rule Act, which allows residents to elect a mayor and council but grants Congress ultimate authority over the city.
The White House said lawyers are reviewing how to repeal the law, which would require congressional action.
Emergency Powers Invoked
Trump cited the Home Rule Act’s provision that allows the president to take over the police force during “special conditions of an emergency nature.” He declared a “public safety emergency” in Washington to justify the move. Federal law enforcement presence in the city has already expanded, with agents from the FBI, ICE, DEA, and ATF deployed across the capital in recent days.
Potential for Military Involvement
The president said he would send U.S. military forces into the city “if needed.” Hegseth added he is prepared to request additional National Guard troops from outside D.C. if the situation escalates.
The president has unique authority over the 2,700 members of the D.C. National Guard, unlike in states where governors control deployments.
Reduced Security Funding for the Capital Region
While invoking a public safety crisis, Trump’s Federal Emergency Management Agency has cut the National Capital Region’s federal urban security funding by $20 million for 2025 — a 44% reduction from the previous year.
Pattern of Using Guard Deployments
Trump has previously used National Guard deployments in politically charged situations. In June, he sent 5,000 troops to Los Angeles in response to protests over immigration raids, drawing objections from state and local officials.
During his first term, Trump sent the Guard into Washington in 2020 to help disperse largely peaceful protests against police brutality after the killing of George Floyd. The move was opposed by Bowser and condemned by civil rights leaders.
Legal and Political Context
The U.S. military is generally prohibited from direct involvement in domestic law enforcement under the Posse Comitatus Act. However, Guard troops have been deployed to D.C. multiple times, including during the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
A federal trial began Monday in San Francisco to determine whether the Trump administration violated the law by deploying Guard troops and U.S. Marines in California without state approval in a prior incident.
Longstanding Crime Rhetoric
Trump has emphasized urban crime for decades, often targeting Democratic-led cities. In 1989, he called for the death penalty in the Central Park jogger case, in which five Black and Latino teenagers were later exonerated. Last year, during a presidential debate, Trump falsely claimed the men had pleaded guilty, prompting a defamation lawsuit from the group, now known as the “Central Park Five.”
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