Trump Joins Police and Guard Patrols Amid DC Federal Takeover

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump announced he would personally patrol the streets of Washington DC on Thursday night alongside police and National Guard units, as part of a federal crackdown on crime in the capital.

The move follows Trump’s decision last week to invoke the 1973 Home Rule Act, declaring a public safety emergency that placed the Metropolitan Police Department [MPD] under federal control and authorized the deployment of up to 800 military personnel.

“I’m going to be going out tonight, I think, with the police and with the military, of course,” Trump told radio host Todd Starnes. “The National Guard is great. They’ve done a fantastic job”.

A White House order justified the takeover by citing Washington’s crime rates, noting that the city’s 2024 homicide rate of 27.54 per 100,000 residents was higher than in any US state. Trump described the capital as facing “complete and total lawlessness” and vowed to restore safety.

The decision has sparked fierce opposition from DC officials. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the measure “unsettling and unprecedented”, while Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit claiming Trump had exceeded his legal authority.

A Washington Post–Schar School poll showed nearly 80% of residents oppose the federal intervention, with many saying they feel less safe due to the heightened military presence.

On Thursday, Attorney General Pamela Bondi reported that 630 arrests had been made since the federal takeover, insisting the mission to “make DC safe again isn’t slowing down”.

The controversy comes despite MPD data showing that violent crime had actually dropped 35% in 2024 compared with the previous year, reaching its lowest level in three decades. Adding to the dispute, media outlets revealed this week that the Department of Justice is investigating whether MPD falsified crime statistics.