Trump Deploys National Guard to Washington, D.C., Amid Crime Crackdown

Former President Donald Trump has declared a 30-day “public safety emergency” in Washington, D.C., ordering 800 National Guard troops onto the streets in what critics call an “unprecedented” federal takeover of the city’s police.

Announced on August 11, the move follows Trump’s meeting with officials to “make the capital safer and more beautiful.” He vowed there would be no “Mr. Nice Guy” approach, ordering the homeless to “move out immediately” and allowing officers to “do whatever the hell they want” when met with hostility.

Trump cited “out-of-control” homicide rates and described D.C. as “one of the most dangerous cities in the world,” despite official statistics showing violent crime at a 30-year low. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the action “unsettling,” while online critics accused Trump of pushing the U.S. toward a “police state.”

The decision comes as a federal judge reviews whether Trump broke the law by deploying the National Guard in Los Angeles during June immigration protests — the first such move in 60 years without a governor’s consent.

Supporters frame the D.C. action as “liberation day,” while opponents warn it’s a dangerous precedent for unchecked federal policing.