US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he’s placing Washington, DC police department under federal control and deploying National Guard troops to the capital, in a move he says will make the city safer and cleaner.
In a post on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns, Trump wrote, “The nation’s capital will be LIBERATED today!” and vowed to end “the days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people.”
The announcement comes just before a scheduled press conference, where Trump is expected to lay out his plans to address homelessness and crime in the city, issues he has increasingly cited as reasons for what he insists necessitates federal intervention.
National Guard Deployment and Federal Expansion
According to an earlier NBC News report, Trump has been considering sending up to 1,000 National Guard troops to the American capital, though US officials say the final number is still undecided and no formal orders have been signed yet.
Over the weekend, the White House ramped up its federal presence, reportedly deploying 450 officers from 18 agencies, including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and DC Metropolitan Police Department, across key areas of the city.
Rising Tensions Over Local Autonomy
Trump’s latest actions, analysts say, have reignited the long-standing debate over DC’s local governance versus federal control. While the president can assert authority over local law enforcement in the district, a full federal takeover would require Congress to repeal the 1973 Home Rule Act, which grants DC limited self-rule.
The president’s threats escalated after the recent assault of a high-profile DOGE employee, fuelling concerns about safety in the capital.
Mayor Bowser Pushes Back
Meanwhile, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser had last week voiced strong opposition to the military deployment, stressing that the National Guard is not meant to enforce local laws.
“These are men and women who leave their families to serve our country, and that is just not their primary role to enforce local laws,” Bowser had reportedly said at the time, per NBC News.
She also pointed to Metro Police Department data, which shows violent crime has decreased in 2025, contradicting the White House’s claims of a city in crisis.
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