TRUMP ORDERS FEDERAL TAKEOVER OF WASHINGTON D.C. POLICE
National Guard to also be deployed in nation’s capital city
By Miriam Raftery
August 11, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to put Washington D.C.’s police force under federal control, claiming a need to reduce crime, CNN reports. However, according to a Newsweek report, violent crime in Washington D.C. was the lowest in 24 years last year, while other crimes also fell.
Trump named the Drug Enforcement Administration’s top official as interim federal commissioner to run the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police department.
In addition, Trump said he will deploy National Guard Troops to assist police and that the Dept. of Defense stands ready to deploy active-duty military to address crime in Washington D.C. if needed.
Washington D.C.’s mayor and police chief have said they were not consulted nor notified of Trump’s move to take over their police department and send in National Guard troops.
A statement by the Democratic Mayors Association denounced the action as a “political charade” aimed at distracting the public from other news, such as what’s in the Epstein files. The statement continued, “If Trump actually cared about reducing crime, he wouldn’t have made unprecedented cuts to public safety programs that actually work.”
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin minced no words in denounced “convicted felon Donald Trump” for “wasting thousands of taxpayers’ dollars” the actions, likening it to Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles against the wishes of California’s Governor and L.A.’s mayor, actions that cost taxpayers around $134 million.
DNC Chair Martin said, ”Trump doesn’t give a damn about keeping D.C. residents safe. When rioters violently stormed the Capitol and there were repeated requests for the National Guard, Trump failed to act. To add insult to injury, he released from jail those 1,500 violent insurrectionists who assaulted police officers and broke federal laws.”
He accused Trump of manufacturing chaos and stoking fear to consolidate power.
As for residents of Washington D.C., 71% of those polled by the Washington Post say Trump is getting too involved in local D.C. issues.