Yesterday, on August 11, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his plans to deploy the
National Guard to Washington, DC, in an effort to take control of the city’s police force. Trump
explained that he would be doing so to crack down on crime and homelessness in the city,
declaring it a “public safety emergency” and deploying 800 Guard troops. These troops would
then bolster hundreds of federal law enforcement officers who were deployed over the weekend.
As stated in a Presidential Memoranda posted on the official White House page, Trump argued
that “the District of Columbia has lost control of public order and safety in the evidence, as
evidenced by the two embassy staffers who were murdered in May, the Congressional intern
who was fatally shot at short distance from the White House in June, and the Administration
staffer who was mercilessly beaten by a violent mob days ago.” To combat this, Trump would
thus direct the Secretary of Defense to mobilize the National Guard and order members to active
service until he deems it no longer necessary. Out of the 800 troops, between 100 to 200 would
be deployed to support law enforcement at any given time.
Next, Trump would place the city under direct federal control under the District of Columbia
Home Rule Act, which was created by former President Nixon in 1973. Normally, under the act,
DC’s police forces would answer to the city mayor, since many District residents pushed for
control over their own affairs during that time: an era of state vs government power. The act also
allows a president to take control of the city’s police force if “special conditions of an emergency
nature exist,” a standard that Trump argues that Washington DC currently meets.
However, DC’s Mayor Muriel Bowser denounced Trump’s claims about crime. She defended
that while there was a spike in crime in 2023, statistics prove that it has fallen since, and violent
crimes in the city are now at a 30-year low. According to the city’s Metropolitan Police
Department, between 2023 and 2024, homicide rates had dropped by 32% and reached their
lowest level since 2023. This year, there has been another substantial drop of 12%. While the
Mayor acknowledged that there had been a spike in crime in 2023, mirroring a national trend,
she denied that it was a DC-centered issue. On Sunday, she told MSNBC, “We are not
experiencing a crime spike. The president is very aware of our efforts.”
Despite opposing arguments on whether DC met the standards for the District of Columbia
Home Rule Act, Trump’s federal takeover begun today, on August 12. As 800 National Guard
members entered DC, the city’s police and federal officials complied, taking the first steps in an
uneasy partnership to reduce crime. Although the Army shared that they were yet to receive
specific information on where they would patrol, they are expected to be on the streets starting
Tuesday night
Written by Claire Liu
