Camille Naredo

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on June 10, 2025, en route to the White House. Brendan Smialowski, AFP/File

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on June 10, 2025, en route to the White House. Trump spent the day at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, a US Army installation with over 50,000 military personnel. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

Article (news)

US President Donald Trump visits Fort Bragg in North Carolina

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1754927193500AFP__20250610__49VA436__v1__Preview__UsPresidentDonaldTrumpVisitsFortBraggInNorthCar.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on June 10, 2025, en route to the White House. Brendan Smialowski, AFP/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on June 10, 2025, en route to the White House. <em>Brendan Smialowski, AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Monday he will deploy military and federal law enforcement in Washington as he seeks to curb violent crime in the nation&#x27;s capital.</p><p>The Republican leader told a White House news conference he plans to place the DC Metropolitan Police under the direct control of the federal government while sending in the National Guard.</p><p>The overwhelmingly Democratic city faces allegations from Republican politicians that it is overrun by crime, plagued by homelessness and financially mismanaged -- although violent offenses are down.</p><p>&quot;This is Liberation Day in DC, and we&#x27;re going to take our capital back,&quot; Trump said.</p><p>Trump -- a convicted felon who has pardoned around 1,500 people involved in the 2021 US Capitol riot in Washington -- has complained that local police and prosecutors aren&#x27;t tough enough.</p><p>He has repeatedly threatened a federal takeover of the city of 700,000, saying crime in Washington was &quot;totally out of control.&quot;</p><p>The new approach echoes Trump&#x27;s immigration policies that have effectively sealed the southern border amid mass deportations while deploying active-duty troops against protesters in Los Angeles.</p><p>The president told reporters he planned to roll out the policy to other cities, spotlighting problems in New York and Chicago.</p><p>Unlike the 50 states, Washington operates under a unique relationship with the federal government that limits its autonomy and grants Congress extraordinary control over local matters.</p><p>Since the mid-1970s, the Home Rule Act has allowed residents to elect a mayor and a city council, although Congress still controls the city&#x27;s budget.</p><p>&quot;There&#x27;s absolutely no need for the National Guard here,&quot; Elizabeth Critchley, 62, said at a protest outside the White House. &quot;It&#x27;s all for show. It&#x27;s just a big theater.&quot;</p><p>Data from Washington police show significant drops in violent crime between 2023 and 2024, although that was coming off the back of a post-pandemic surge.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- Crime is &#x27;ending&#x27; -</strong></div><div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAFz8gWM8iRADsJr&amp;cid=ABeRAtx-x90RLkN0"></script></div><p>Trump posted on social media ahead of the news conference that he also wants to tackle homeless encampments, after signing an order last month making it easier to arrest homeless people.</p><p>Trump ordered homeless people to &quot;move out&quot; of the city in a Truth Social post on Sunday, vowing to &quot;make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before.&quot;</p><p>He promised individuals &quot;places to stay,&quot; but &quot;FAR from the Capital.&quot; Trump said criminals would be jailed and that it would all happen &quot;very fast.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/8/11/trump-says-to-move-homeless-people-far-from-washington-0833">READ: Trump says to move homeless people &#x27;far&#x27; from Washington</a></div><p>Federal law enforcement have already increased their presence after a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer was beaten during an attempted carjacking.</p><p>&quot;Last week my administration surged 500 federal agents into the district including from the FBI, ATF, DEA, Park Police, the US Marshals Service, the Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland Security,&quot; Trump said.</p><p>&quot;You know a lot of nations, they don&#x27;t have anything like that... They made dozens of arrests.&quot;</p><p>A Gallup poll in October found that 64 percent of Americans believed crime had risen in 2024, although FBI data shows the lowest levels of violent crime nationwide in more than half a century.</p><p>&quot;Let me be crystal clear -- crime in DC is ending, and it&#x27;s ending today,&quot; said Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was among several cabinet members flanking Trump.</p><p>Trump called Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser a &quot;good person who has tried&quot; at the weekend but added that she had been given &quot;many chances&quot; to improve living standards.</p><p>Bowser has not criticized Trump over his threats to stage a federal takeover, insisting instead that she plans to focus on their &quot;shared priorities.&quot;</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>US President Donald Trump said Monday he will deploy military and federal law enforcement in Washington as he seeks to curb violent crime in the nation's capital.</p>

US President Donald Trump said Monday he will deploy military and federal law enforcement in Washington as he seeks to curb violent crime in the nation's capital.

Trump deploys National Guard to tackle Washington crime

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

World

Trump deploys National Guard to tackle Washington crime

Agence France-Presse

Published Aug 12, 2025 01:22 AM PHT

Read More:

United States

Donald Trump

Washington DC

crime

National Guard

DC Metropolitan Police

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.