On August 11th, President Donald Trump has announced that he is deploying the National Guard in Washington, DC and will eventually take control of DC police. Here's everything you need to know.

National Guard Deployment

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Donald Trump is deploying the National Guard to Washington, DC, as part of his plan to crack down on street crime happening in the capital. The D.C. U.S.

Attorney’s Office reported that the crime rate in DC fell to a 30-year low last year, despite his claim of the city being "one of the most dangerous cities in the world." The crime rate in DC fell to just 26%, according to DC police data. Not only that, but he has also confirmed that he will declare a "public safety emergency."

What does that mean? A public safety emergency refers to an unforeseen situation that poses a significant and dangerous threat to the safety of public citizens. These situations include civil unrest, natural disasters, acts of terrorism, etc.

"We're going to have a lot of agents on the street. You're going to have a lot of, essentially, military, and we will bring in the military if it's needed," Trump said.

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Control over D.C. Police Department

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As part of his campaign to reduce DC crime, Trump says that he wants to take over full control of the DC Police Department. He can legally do that, but it would require Congressional approval, and he must notify Congress within 48 hours on why he wants a full takeover of DC police.

According to Trump via a Truth Social post, he confirms,

If DC doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take federal control of the city and run this city how it should be run and put criminals on notice that they're not going to get away with it anymore.

For Congress to allow Trump to take over the DC police department, they would have to repeal the 1973 Home Rule Act, which allows residents in DC to elect their own local government, including a mayor and city council. This act paved the way for self-governance. Unless Congress allows an extension, Trump can take control of the DC police department for 30 days, according to the act.

Trump has also said that he wanted minors starting at the age of 14 to be labeled as adults and have the same prosecution and jail/prison sentences as actual adults. This statement comes after an assault on DOGE aide Edward Coristine during an attempted carjacking. According to Trump’s Trruth Social post,

“Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control. Local “youths” and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16 years old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released. They are not afraid of law enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now! The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these “minors” as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14,”

Reactions

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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt lauded the approach as a "first step in stopping the violent crime that has been plaguing the streets of Washington, DC."

House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies condemned the action and wrote on his Twitter/X account that,

Violent crime in Washington, D.C., is at a thirty-year low.

Donald Trump has no basis to take over the local police department.

And zero credibility on the issue of law and order.

Get lost.

DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb has also criticized Trump’s approach to handle DC crime and has posted,

The administration's actions are unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful.

There is no crime emergency in the District of Columbia. Violent crime in DC reached historic 30-year lows last year and is down another 26% so far this year.

We are considering all of our options and will do what is necessary to protect the rights and safety of district residents.

Muriel Bowser, the DC mayor, has called Trump’s actions “unsettling and unprecedented.”

Many other Democrats have condemned the decision to deploy the National Guard to DC, including Rep. Jamie Raskin and Glenn Ivey (D-Md) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).

While some Republicans haven’t voiced support yet, they may do that in the future.

What Happens Next

Image Credit: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jette Carr from Wikimedia Commons

Trump has also said that sanctuary cities such as New York and Chicago could follow his plan in applying heavy security measures to reduce crime.

He confirms this by noting,

But then I'm going to look at New York in a little while. Let's do this. Let's do this together.

Let's see. It's going to go pretty quickly. And if we need to, we're going to do the same thing in Chicago, which is a disaster. We have a mayor there who is totally incompetent. He's an incompetent man. And we have an incompetent governor there.

Considering that Congress is Republican-led in both chambers, Trump’s plan could go into full effect within the coming days, and there will be heavy pressure from the media.

For more information, please check your local news outlets or reputable sources such as NBC News, the New York Times, Reuters, The Guardian, Forbes Breaking News on YouTube, etc.