President Donald Trump announced Monday that he was calling up the Washington, D.C., National Guard and assuming direct control of the city’s police force. Even as Trump claims to be fighting crime in the nation’s capital, his critics note that the city’s crime rate has already fallen significantly. For many, Trump’s move is another distraction from ongoing controversies, such as the Epstein scandal.

Trump announces federal takeover of Washington, D.C., ignores falling crime in city

Trump announced at a Monday White House press conference that he was assuming direct control of law enforcement in Washington, D.C. “This is liberation day in D.C., and we’re gonna take our capital back,” Trump said from the White House podium while flanked by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump said, “I’m evoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia home rule act, do you know what that is, and placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control.” Trump also announced, “In addition, I’m deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety in Washington, D.C., and they’re gonna be allowed to do their job properly.”

President Trump announces that he's putting Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department under "direct federal control" and will be deploying the National Guard "to help reestablish law, order and public safety" in the city.

"We're going to take our capital back," he says.… pic.twitter.com/R3Jecd130d
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 11, 2025

Trump’s claims about law and order in Washington, D.C., are being called out by many who note that crime has dropped significantly in the nation’s capital under the current administration of Mayor Muriel Bowser.

What is the reality of crime in D.C. at the moment?

Bowser herself noted that, after a spike in 2023, Washington has experienced a two-year drop in crime. Violent crime in the city has dropped by 26% in 2025 alone, reaching a 30-year low. Trump also threatened that he would “look at” similar federal takeovers of cities, including New York and Chicago, while taking personal shots at Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Trump also pointed to his move earlier this year to send National Guard troops into Los Angeles amid protests against ICE raids in that city.

🚨 BREAKING: Trump now says he’s considering using the same federal takeover he just imposed on Washington, D.C., to seize control of New York, Chicago, and “other cities.”

Translation: this isn’t a one-off, it’s a blueprint for putting blue cities under direct White House rule. pic.twitter.com/OB1mdd23sv
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) August 11, 2025

Trump called out for skewed priorities, attempt to distract from scandal

Trump had teased the announcement for days. He indicated that he might make a move to intervene in policing in D.C. after 19-year-old former DOGE employee Edward Coristine, known as “Big Balls,” was allegedly injured in a carjacking attempt in the city. Trump also indicated on social media over the weekend that he would be clearing people without housing from Washington, D.C. “The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump posted, writing that he was going “to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before.“ Trump’s priorities have been mocked across social media. “When the US Capitol was under attack, Donald J Trump never stopped the violent crime in Washington, DC on J6. He pardoned them all too,” posted X user Benny Broncko, referencing Trump’s long delay in deploying the National Guard while his supporters attacked the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021. “When Big Balls gets assaulted in Washington, DC on A3, Donald J Trump wants to put a stop to violent crime.”

When the US Capitol was under attack, Donald J Trump never stopped the violent crime in Washington, DC on J6. He pardoned them all too.

When Big Balls gets assaulted in Washington, DC on A3, Donald J Trump wants to put a stop to violent crime. pic.twitter.com/0ja24LjS7p
— Benny Broncko (@BennyPBroncko) August 10, 2025

Many are also viewing Trump’s attempt to manufacture a “crime” crisis in Washington, D.C., as yet another attempt to distract from his administration’s scandals, most notably Trump’s connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his administration’s refusal to release files related to that case. In response to Trump’s Washington, D.C., announcement, a number of people demanded that Trump “release the Epstein files,” leading to that phrase trending on X on Monday afternoon.

Release the Epstein Files. https://t.co/9bhsR5CKYg
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 11, 2025

If Trump intended for his federal takeover in D.C. to distract from the Epstein case, it seems to be backfiring so far. Trump also appears to be failing in his attempt to paint a “tough on crime” narrative concerning D.C. and other Democrat-run cities with significantly Black populations, as the data does not match the panic he is promoting. For now, though, it appears that Washington, D.C., will bear the brunt of Trump’s attempt to push a new, more favorable narrative for himself.

Washington DC

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