WASHINGTON; U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he is deploying 800 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and temporarily taking control of the city’s police department — an extraordinary use of presidential authority that bypasses the capital’s elected leadership.
Framing the move as a measure to “rescue” the city from a supposed surge in violence, Trump claimed Washington had been “overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals,” despite data showing violent crime has been steadily declining after a spike in 2023.
This marks the second time this summer Trump has sent troops into a Democrat-led city. A federal trial is already underway in San Francisco to determine whether his June deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles, without California Governor Gavin Newsom’s approval, violated U.S. law. Trump also suggested similar action could follow in other cities like Chicago.
Hundreds of federal officers from more than a dozen agencies have already been deployed in Washington, with Attorney General Pam Bondi now overseeing the police force. The U.S. Army said the Guard’s role will include administrative support, logistics, and maintaining a law enforcement presence, with up to 200 troops active at a time.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser disputed Trump’s claims of rampant crime, highlighting that violent crime fell 35% in 2024 and is down an additional 26% so far in 2025, reaching the lowest level in over three decades. While she acknowledged the president’s broad emergency powers under the District’s Home Rule Act, the city’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, labeled the move “unlawful” and said legal options were being considered.
Trump invoked a provision in the Home Rule Act allowing the president to take control of the police force for 30 days under “emergency” conditions. He declared a “public safety emergency” while also promising to clear homeless encampments, though he provided no relocation plan.
The announcement comes despite Trump’s Federal Emergency Management Agency cutting $20 million — a 44% reduction — from the National Capital Region’s security budget this year.
The president holds direct command over the 2,700 members of the D.C. National Guard, a power not shared by governors in U.S. states. The Guard has previously been mobilized in the capital, including during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and the 2020 police brutality protests.
Sources; Reuters, News Agencies
