Trump Declares Emergency, Takes Control of D.C. Police, Calls National Guard

Federal Control Over Washington, D.C. Police Sparks Controversy

President Donald Trump made a bold move on Monday by temporarily placing the Washington, D.C. police department under federal control and deploying the National Guard in the nation’s capital. This decision was met with strong opposition from local leaders, who argue that Trump is exaggerating the city's crime issues.

Trump announced that he had declared a public safety emergency and invoked section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows the President to take control of the Metropolitan Police Department during an emergency. Attorney General Pam Bondi has now taken charge of the department. The executive order signed by Trump states that the administration would take over D.C. law enforcement for the maximum period permitted under the Home Rule Act, which is up to 30 days unless Congress authorizes an extension.

This move marks a rare expansion of presidential authority over local government. Trump also hinted at extending this approach to other major cities, including New York City, Baltimore, and Oakland. “They're so far gone,” he said. “This will go further. We’re starting very strongly with D.C.”

In recent days, federal officers from various agencies, including the U.S. Park Police, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the U.S. Marshals Service, have been patrolling the streets of D.C. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that additional specialized units would be deployed in the coming week. Trump also mentioned the possibility of sending the military into D.C. “if needed,” a move that some critics warn could lead to the declaration of martial law.

Despite Trump's claims, crime in Washington, D.C. is at a 30-year-low. According to city police data, violent crime is down by 26% so far in 2025 compared to the previous year, while property crime is down by 4%. In 2024, crime in D.C. was down 15% compared to the year before. However, Trump has painted a different picture, describing the city as “one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world” in a post on Truth Social.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the President’s police takeover “unsettling and unprecedented.” She expressed concerns about the use of the military against American citizens on U.S. soil. The D.C. council also warned that the National Guard lacks public safety training and knowledge of local laws, calling the deployment an “unnecessary intrusion on local authority.”

The move comes four years after the Metropolitan Police Department faced violence from Trump supporters during the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. More than 140 officers were injured during the incident. Trump later pardoned many of the rioters involved in the attack.

Since Washington, D.C. does not have statehood, the President has broad authority to deploy the National Guard. Democrats have criticized Trump for not calling the National Guard to prevent the violence on January 6. Trump has claimed without evidence that he did authorize the deployment.

Several hundred people gathered outside the White House to protest Trump’s plan to take control of the police department. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the New York Democrat and minority leader, condemned the move on social media, stating that violent crime in D.C. is at a thirty-year low and that Trump has no basis to take over the local police department.

Several Democrats plan to introduce legislation to address Trump’s announcement. One measure proposed by D.C.’s non-voting delegate Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen aims to repeal the president’s authority to take temporary control of the D.C. police and give the mayor authority over the D.C. National Guard. However, the measure faces challenges in the Republican-controlled Congress.

Trump’s focus on public safety in the capital comes after Edward Coristine, a software engineer known as “Big Balls,” was injured during an alleged carjacking in D.C. Two 15-year-old suspects were arrested. Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., wants to change the law to prosecute early teens as adults, arguing that juvenile offenders face little consequences in the city.