President Donald Trump reported Monday that he is placing the Washington, D.C., police department under federal control.
“I’m announcing a historic action to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor, and worse. This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we’re gonna take our capital back. We’re taking it back,” Trump said in remarks from the White House briefing room, flanked by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, among others.
“Under the authorities vested in me as the president of the United States, I’m officially invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act … and placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control,” the president continued.
🚨 President Trump announces he is invoking the D.C. Home Rule Act to place the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and deploy the National Guard.
“This is Liberation Day in D.C. — and we’re going to take our capital BACK.” pic.twitter.com/aqov60mrCW
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 11, 2025
Trump further announced that he is deploying the D.C. National Guard to assist in restoring order.
The National Guard in D.C. falls under the direct command of the president, while the Guard units in the 50 states are locally controlled by the governors.
In a memorandum posted on the White House website, the president cited some of the recent high-profile examples of violence in the capital, including the murder of two Israeli embassy staff members in May, a congressional intern shot and killed in June, and a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer brutally beaten last week.
Do you approve of Trump federalizing the D.C. police?
Additionally, Trump noted during his briefing, “Just this past weekend, gunfire went through the Navy Yard. I saw it this morning, that they fought back against police. See, they fight back until you knock the hell out of them, because it’s the only language they understand … They’re not going to be fighting back for long.”
.@POTUS: “Just this past weekend, gunfire went through the Navy Yard. I saw that they fought back against police. See, they fight back until you knock the hell out of them because it’s the only language they understand… They’re not going to be fighting back for long.” pic.twitter.com/l8qQASSg0S
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 11, 2025
“You tell them, ‘You spit, and we hit,’ and they can hit real hard,” Trump said were his instructions to police officers.
Trump pointed out that the murder rate in D.C. is higher than in some of the world’s most notoriously violent cities.
What level of violent crime is acceptable? How many kids getting shot in the street is OK?
DC crime is out of control. But not for long. https://t.co/yKZ7aC3c4P pic.twitter.com/qk2PzZVnSs
— Abigail Jackson (@ATJackson47) August 11, 2025
“The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogotá, Colombia, Mexico City, some of the places you hear about as being the worst place on earth,” he said.
“The number of car thefts has doubled over the past five years, and the number of carjackings has more than tripled,” Trump added.
.@POTUS lists some of the horrific statistics pertaining to violence in D.C.: “The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogotá, Colombia… The number of car thefts has doubled over the past five years, and the number of carjackings has more than tripled.” pic.twitter.com/8lqRrdlGUD
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 11, 2025
“Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youths, drugged-out maniacs, and homeless people, and we’re not going to let it happen anymore,” Trump said.
The president also stated, “We are going to be removing homeless encampments from all over our parks, our beautiful, beautiful parks. … We’re moving the encampments away, trying to take care of people.”
“There are many places that they can go, and we’re going to help them as much as you can help, but they’ll not be allowed to turn our capital into a wasteland for the world to see,” he said.
.@POTUS on Making D.C. Safe Again: “We are going to be removing homeless encampments from all over our parks… We’re getting rid of the people from underpasses and public spaces… We’ll help them as much as you can help.” pic.twitter.com/Gu7O1ySWFz
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 11, 2025
The New York Post reported that the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 allows use of the Metropolitan Police for federal purposes for up to 30 days.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser “recently invoked curfews in parts of the city in a bid to keep teens off the street as early as 7 p.m.,” the Post said.
The mayor has also claimed crime rates are down in the city, but Trump asserted the numbers are “phony” and said Bondi would be looking into that issue.
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