Trump deploys National Guard to Washington over 'wave of lawlessness'

(Patria) - US President Donald Trump announced today that he is deploying 800 National Guard troops to the capital and placing the Washington police department under federal control.

His intention, as he stated, is to combat a wave of lawlessness, despite statistics showing that violent crime reached its lowest level in 30 years in 2024.

"I am deploying the National Guard to help restore law, order, and public safety in Washington," Trump told reporters at the White House.

At the time of his statement, he was surrounded by administration officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

"Our capital has been taken over by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals," Trump declared.

Trump's announcement is his latest attempt to target Democrat-run cities by exercising executive authority over traditionally local matters, and he has shown particular interest in establishing greater control over Washington.

The Republican president has dismissed criticism that he is creating a crisis to justify expanding presidential powers in a predominantly Democrat city.

Hundreds of police officers and agents from more than a dozen federal agencies, including the FBI, ICE, DEA, and ATF, have spread throughout the city in recent days.

Trump said he would also send the US military "if necessary," and Hegseth said he was prepared to call in additional National Guard troops from outside Washington.

"Bondi will oversee the takeover of the police force," Trump said.

In his announcement, Trump described Washington as a "hellhole of bloodthirsty criminals and uncontrolled violence."

Washington's Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser rejected Trump's claims, stating that the city is "not experiencing a crime surge," and highlighting that violent crime reached its lowest level in over three decades last year.

Violent crime decreased by 26 percent in the first seven months of 2025 after falling by 35 percent in 2024, and overall crime decreased by 7 percent, according to data from the city's police department.

Over the past week, Trump has intensified his rhetoric, suggesting he might try to strip the city of local autonomy and implement a full federal takeover.

The District of Columbia, established in 1790, operates under the Home Rule Act, which gives Congress ultimate authority but allows residents to elect a mayor and city council.

Trump said last week that lawyers are examining how to overturn the law, a move that would likely require Congress to repeal it.

In taking over the Metropolitan Police Department, Trump invoked a section of the law that allows the president to use force temporarily when there are "extraordinary emergency conditions."

Trump also stated that he is declaring a "public safety emergency" in the city.

Trump's Federal Emergency Management Agency is reducing security funding for the National Capital Region, an area that includes Washington and nearby cities in Maryland and Virginia.

The region will receive $20 million less this year from the federal urban security fund, a 44 percent decrease from the previous year.

Deploying National Guard troops is a tactic the president has used in Los Angeles, where he sent 5,000 troops in June in response to protests against his administration's immigration raids.

State and local officials opposed that Trump decision as unnecessary and inflammatory.

A federal trial was scheduled to begin today in San Francisco regarding whether the Trump administration violated US law by deploying National Guard troops and US Marines without the approval of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.

The president has broad authority over Washington's 2,700 National Guard members, unlike in states where governors typically have the authority to activate troops.

Guard troops have been sent to Washington many times, including in response to the attack by a mob of Trump supporters on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

During his first term as president, Trump sent the National Guard to Washington in 2020 to help quell largely peaceful demonstrations during national protests against police brutality following the murder of George Floyd.

Civil rights movement leaders condemned the troop deployment, which Bowser opposed.

The US military is generally prohibited by law from direct involvement in domestic law enforcement activities.

Since the 1980s, Trump has used crime, particularly youth crime in cities, as a political tool.

His 1989 call for the death penalty in the Central Park jogger case, involving five black and Latino teenagers who were later acquitted of rape and assault charges, remains among the controversial moments of his public life.

The "Central Park Five" sued Trump for defamation after he falsely stated during a presidential debate last year that they had confessed to the crime.