Trump broadcasts Nationwide Guard activation to sort out Washington crime

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President Donald Trump introduced Monday that he's activating Nationwide Guard troops and is taking up the Metropolitan Police Division to sort out crime in Washington, after beefing up federal legislation enforcement presence within the nation's capital Saturday.

"I am deploying the Nationwide Guard to assist reestablish legislation, order and public security in Washington, DC," Trump instructed reporters at a Monday press convention. "And they'll be allowed to do their job correctly."

Trump additionally stated that he would federalize the Metropolitan Police Division in Washington to reply to crime, putting it underneath the authority of Lawyer Common Pam Bondi.

Nationwide Guard troops are reserve forces which can be mobilized in response to state and federal operations, together with pure disasters, and are usually overseen by their respective state governments. Nevertheless, Trump controversially deployed Nationwide Guard troops from California to reply to immigration riots in June, bypassing the California Gov. Gavin Newsom to dispatch the troops.

The federal authorities oversees the District of Columbia Nationwide Guard.

"It is changing into a scenario of full and complete lawlessness, and we're eliminating the slums, too," Trump stated. "Now we have slums right here. We eliminating them."

Trump’s remarks come simply after he promised Washington can be "LIBERATED" from "Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum" in a submit on Reality Social Monday morning. He stated within the submit that the "days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, harmless individuals, are OVER!"

Trump floated the idea of taking over Washington’s Metropolitan Police Division and using Nationwide Guard troops to handle crime in Washington Wednesday, following the assault of a former Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) staffer on Aug. 3 in Washington’s Logan Circle.

TRUMP THREATENS TO FEDERALIZE DC AFTER EX-DOGE EMPLOYEE 'BIG BALLS' VIOLENTLY BEATEN

FBI and Border Patrol officers arrest a person alongside the U Avenue hall throughout a federal legislation enforcement deployment to the nation's capital on August 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Leyden/Getty Photographs)

"What a disgrace – fee of crime, the speed of muggings, killings and every thing else, we’re not going to let it, and that features bringing within the Nationwide Guard, possibly in a short time, too," Trump instructed reporters Wednesday on the White Home.

Trump additionally instructed reporters on the time he was open to taking up Washington’s Metropolitan Police Division as a result of crime within the nation’s capital is "ridiculous."

Whereas a brief federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Division is justified in instances of emergency, Trump's transfer will seemingly be challenged in court docket over whether or not the scenario in Washington qualifies as an emergency.

Trump has traditionally railed in opposition to violence in Washington, and stated Tuesday that crime is "completely uncontrolled" within the nation's capital.

In the meantime, crime in Washington is on the decline. Violent crime is down 26% this yr, compared to the identical timeframe in 2024, in line with Washington’s Metropolitan Police Division. Likewise, assaults with a harmful weapon are down 20%, and homicides are down by 12%.

WATCH: TRUMP HINTS HE WILL FEDERALIZE DC SOON, BRING IN NATIONAL GUARD AFTER ‘BIG BALLS’ ATTACK

FBI and Border Patrol officers arrest a person alongside the U Avenue hall throughout a federal legislation enforcement deployment to the nation's capital on August 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Leyden/Getty Photographs)

Washington’s Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Trump’s description of the town throughout an interview with MSNBC Sunday, and voiced issues about the potential of activating the Nationwide Guard to sort out the town’s crime.

"Any comparability to a war-torn nation is hyperbolic and false," Bowser stated.

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"I’m involved about them not getting used effectively, and I simply assume that’s not essentially the most environment friendly use of our Guard," Bowser stated.