Trump deploys National Guard to D.C., federal government to take over metro police department

President Trump exercised his power over Washington on Monday, announcing that he’ll “rescue” the nation’s capital by deploying the National Guard and taking over the District’s police department to combat crime and homelessness.

“I’m deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law and order and public safety in Washington, D.C.,” Mr. Trump said at a White House press conference. “We’re going to take our capital back.”

The president said crime in the District is out of control, despite crime statistics from the Metropolitan Police Department showing that overall crime is down 7% compared with last year and violent crime is down 26%.

“It’s not getting better, it’s getting worse,” Mr. Trump said.

In 2023, the District hit a 20-year high with 274 homicides. Carjackings that same year soared to more than 100 per month.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the National Guard will be flowing into the streets of Washington in the coming weeks. He did not rule out mobilizing other branches of the military, including “specialized units” to the District to combat crime.

“They will be strong. They will be tough and they will stand with our law enforcement partners,” Mr. Hegseth said.

The announcement comes a week after the president threatened a federal takeover of the District following an assault on Edward Coristine, a Department of Government Efficiency staffer in an attempted carjacking. Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department arrested a 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl in connection with the incident and charged them with unarmed carjacking.

Over the weekend, Mr. Trump increased the federal law enforcement presence in Washington with hundreds of personnel from the FBI, Secret Service and other agencies patrolling the District. They are tasked with helping local law enforcement crack down on carjackings and other violent crime.

The deployment of the National Guard is the most recent example of Mr. Trump’s increasing use of the military to carry out his agenda on American soil, a flex only few presidents have used because it spurs fears of over-militarization.

A fact sheet distributed by the White House ahead of Mr. Trump’s press conference highlighted several of the alleged criminals it says federal law enforcement removed from Washington’s streets this weekend.

Among the arrests were a man arrested for carrying a pistol without a license, another man charged with possession of a firearm, possession of unregistered ammunition, possession with intent to distribute narcotics and carrying a pistol without a license, and another individual wanted on an outstanding warrant for cruelty to the elderly.

Mr. Trump has the authority to take control of the local police, but would need the assistance of Congress for a full federal takeover of the nation’s capital. Congress would have to appeal the 1973 Home Rule Act, which granted Washington limited self-governance.

Sen. Mike Lee, Utah Republican, earlier this year introduced legislation to end Washington’s Home Rule Law, which allows residents to elect a mayor and city council to oversee local matters.

Mayor Muriel Bowser has pushed back on Mr. Trump’s claims that Washington is overrun with crime and chaos.

“If the priority is to show force in an American city, we know [Mr. Trump] can do that here, but it won’t be because there’s a spike in crime,” she said in an MSNBC interview.

The Times contacted Ms. Bowser for comment on the president’s additional moves to take over the Metropolitan Police and deploy the National Guard.

Following Mr. Trump’s announcement Monday, D.C. Council member Charles Allen called it an “extreme, outrageous, and dangerous move for our city and the safety of all our residents.”

“National Guard soldiers are trained for warfare & natural disasters, not for community policing. Every American should be deeply concerned with what they’re witnessing today,” Mr. Allen, a Democrat who represents neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill, wrote on X.

“It might make sense if he’s trying to create compelling TV and distract folks from the real scandals he’s facing, but it doesn’t make our city safer & it’s a dangerous abuse of power and authority,” he said.

The D.C. Police Union, who has criticized Mr. Allen for championing the “defund the police” movement amid the Black Lives Matter fervor in 2020, shot back at the councilman’s social media post by saying, “Very brave of you to post this since it is entirely your fault.”

Violent crime is down 26% compared to last year, with significant declines in shootings, carjackings and muggings that surged in 2022 and 2023, according to data from local police. However, there have been a number of assaults on high-profile individuals, including members of Mr. Trump’s Cabinet, have taken place in the city.

The White House disputes that Washington is safe, saying it is the most dangerous world capitals, with just under 30 murders per 100,000 residents last year. Other capitals, including Bogota, Colombia; Mexico City; Lima, Peru; London and Paris have much lower rates, according to the White House fact sheets.

Mr. Trump signed an executive order in March to make D.C. “safe and beautiful,” establishing a task force to work with local officials on safety issues, such as by increasing the federal law enforcement presence in the District.

The president earlier this year bypassed California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, and deployed thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles to combat protests over Immigration and Customs and Enforcement raids in Los Angeles. Mr. Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass objected to the move, saying it was an overreach. The deployment of the troops to Los Angeles is currently being challenged in court.

The president also used federal forces during his first term, when he called for the National Guard to respond to the violent protests in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by a White police officer in Minneapolis.