President Trump Deploys National Guard to Washington D.C. Amid Crime Crackdown
On Monday, August 11, 2025, President Donald Trump announced a sweeping federal takeover of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and the deployment of the National Guard to the nation’s capital as part of a major initiative to combat crime and restore public safety. Speaking at the White House, Trump invoked the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 to justify placing D.C.’s police force under direct federal control.
“I’m announcing a historic action to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse,” Trump declared at the briefing held in the Brady Press Briefing Room. “This is liberation day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back.” Attorney General Pam Bondi was named as the immediate leader of the Metropolitan Police Department, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that the National Guard was mobilized and would be deployed to D.C. streets in the coming week to support law enforcement efforts.
The President’s move comes despite data indicating that crime rates in Washington, D.C. have declined in recent years. Trump justified the extraordinary step by declaring a public safety emergency and emphasizing the need for “dramatic action” in the face of what he described as worsening conditions.
Trump cited Section 740 of the Home Rule Act, which grants the president authority to assume control over D.C. police “in conditions of an emergency nature.” The executive order accompanying the announcement stipulates that the National Guard deployment will remain in place until the President determines that conditions of law and order have been restored.
Expanding Federal Control Over Major Cities
Beyond Washington, D.C., Trump indicated plans to extend federal oversight to other major urban centers, specifically naming New York City, Baltimore, and Oakland. “They’re so far gone,” Trump said of these cities. “This will go further. We’re starting very strongly with D.C.” Recent days have seen increased federal presence on the streets of the capital, including officers from the U.S. Park Police, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and U.S. Marshals Service conducting night patrols.
Local Reaction and Criticism
Trump’s decision has provoked a mixed response among Washington residents and local leaders. Some residents expressed concern over the federal government’s encroachment on the district’s autonomy. “I think D.C. politics should stay with D.C., and, unfortunately, the federal government is apparently overstepping their bounds right now,” one resident told media outlets. Others welcomed the move, hoping it would enhance public safety.
Critics also pointed to Trump’s previous federalization of the California National Guard earlier this year amid protests and civil unrest related to immigration enforcement in Los Angeles. That action bypassed Governor Gavin Newsom’s authority and was the first president-led federalization of the National Guard in over six decades, sparking debate about executive power.
Government Officials Supporting the Effort
Joining Trump at the news conference were key Cabinet and federal law enforcement officials who voiced their support. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Attorney General Bondi, Defense Secretary Hegseth, and FBI Director Kash Patel underscored the administration’s commitment to restoring law and order. Hegseth stated that specialized federal units would also be deployed in coordination with the National Guard to assist in combating crime in D.C.
The President’s announcement marks a significant and rare expansion of federal authority over local governance, centered on public safety concerns, with the potential to reshape policing dynamics in America’s most prominent cities.
By: [Your News Agency]