U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested he may send more federal troops to Democrat-led cities, starting with Chicago, Illinois. His warning came just after the Pentagon confirmed that National Guard troops in Washington, DC, would now carry weapons while on duty.
The Defense Department said on Friday that the order came directly from Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. “Members supporting the mission to lower the crime rate in our Nation’s capital will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons, consistent with their mission and training,” the statement read.
US: National Guards Already Deployed In Washington by Donald Trump
Trump first deployed the National Guard in Washington on August 11, claiming crime in the city was out of control. However, official police data tells a different story. The Metropolitan Police Department reports that violent crime in Washington is at its lowest in 30 years. While murders and other crimes rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, numbers have since dropped. Police say violent crime has fallen by 35 percent since 2023.
Despite this, Trump has kept up his criticism of Washington’s leaders. On Friday, he again attacked the city’s government and hinted at taking direct control. He has already federalised the local police force, a step he can take for up to 30 days.
Donald Trump Slams Mayor Associated with Democrats
Speaking to reporters at the White House during a meeting with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Trump described the city harshly. “It was a crime-infested rat hole, and they do have a lot of rats,” he said. He also singled out DC’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, a Democrat.
“I’m tired of listening to these people say how safe it was before we got here,” Trump said. “It was unsafe. It was horrible. And Mayor Bowser had better get her act straight, or she won’t be mayor very long, because we’ll take it over with the federal government and run it like it’s supposed to be run.”
Critics warn that such actions could strip DC voters of their rights. Legal experts also caution that Trump may run into serious legal trouble if he tries to take full control of the city.
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