General Discussion

Jilly_in_VA

(13,086 posts) Mon Aug 11, 2025, 11:14 AM Aug 11

Trump says he will take control of DC police, deploy National Guard to capital

President Donald Trump said on Monday he was putting Washington's police department under federal control and ordering the National Guard to deploy to the nation's capital to combat what he said was a wave of lawlessness, despite statistics showing that violent crime hit a 30-year low in 2024.
"I'm deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety in Washington, D.C.," Trump told reporters at the White House, flanked by administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi. "Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals."

Trump's announcement is his latest effort to target Democratic cities by exercising executive power over traditionally local matters. He has dismissed criticism that he is manufacturing a crisis to justify expanding presidential authority.
Hundreds of officers and agents from over a dozen federal agencies, including the FBI, ICE, DEA, and ATF, have already fanned out across the city in recent days.

The Democratic major of Washington, Muriel Bowser, has pushed back on Trump's claims, saying the city is "not experiencing a crime spike" and highlighting that violent crime hit its lowest level in more than three decades last year.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-he-will-take-control-dc-police-deploy-national-guard-capital-2025-08-11/

This is only the first. But I don't think he can get away with "federalizing" Chicago!

15 replies

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Trump says he will take control of DC police, deploy National Guard to capital (Original Post) Jilly_in_VA Aug 11 OP

MISA: make incels safe again jls4561 Aug 11 #1

"Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals." dweller Aug 11 #2

Likely a maga markodochartaigh Aug 11 #6

I hope this turns out very badly. (nt) Paladin Aug 11 #3

Call the White House, 202-456-1111, leave a message (operators are swamped) and protest the military takeover of Timeflyer Aug 11 #4

Wanna hear the full story of this beating. I bet big balls provoked these teenagers. Walleye Aug 11 #5

I called and left a message. lindalou65 Aug 11 #7

Trump said he would send fed marshals to clean up Chicago for his first term. They only had to ask. Norrrm Aug 11 #8

Not this time Jilly_in_VA Aug 11 #10

Epstein Epstein Epstein Epstein Always Blue Aug 11 #9

Can't wait to hear Michael Fanone's take on this. He was nearly killed by the mob the new Orange Chief of Police Vinca Aug 11 #11

This is some absolute fucking bullshit. He needs to be removed now. Initech Aug 11 #12

trump is lying about crime in D.C. LetMyPeopleVote Aug 11 #13

Maddow Blog-Trump to deploy the National Guard to D.C., place local police under federal control LetMyPeopleVote Aug 11 #14

Federal law allows Trump to control D.C. police only for 48 hours LetMyPeopleVote Aug 11 #15

jls4561

(2,722 posts)

1. MISA: make incels safe again

Reply to Jilly_in_VA (Original post)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 11:18 AM

Aug 11

dweller

(27,170 posts)

2. "Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals."

Reply to Jilly_in_VA (Original post)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 11:23 AM

Aug 11

Did the repug Congress return from summer break already ?
🤔

✌🏻

markodochartaigh

(4,114 posts)

6. Likely a maga

Reply to dweller (Reply #2)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 11:43 AM

Aug 11

"tour" of the Capitol. I hope speaker Johnson ordered porta potties.

Paladin

(31,648 posts)

3. I hope this turns out very badly. (nt)

Reply to Jilly_in_VA (Original post)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 11:24 AM

Aug 11

Timeflyer

(3,437 posts)

4. Call the White House, 202-456-1111, leave a message (operators are swamped) and protest the military takeover of

Reply to Jilly_in_VA (Original post)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 11:24 AM

Aug 11

an American city. The Wash. D.C. police force is handling the "Big Balls" beating that is tRump's excuse. He's using it as a distraction from his involvement in Epstein crime spree and coverup.

Walleye

(42,618 posts)

5. Wanna hear the full story of this beating. I bet big balls provoked these teenagers.

Reply to Timeflyer (Reply #4)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 11:41 AM

Aug 11

These stupid Maga don’t know the first thing about living in a city.

lindalou65

(355 posts)

7. I called and left a message.

Reply to Timeflyer (Reply #4)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 11:55 AM

Aug 11

I am sure they won’t return my call but I said in a few words that We The People won’t put up with this.

Norrrm

(3,029 posts)

8. Trump said he would send fed marshals to clean up Chicago for his first term. They only had to ask.

Reply to Jilly_in_VA (Original post)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 12:15 PM

Aug 11

They asked. He ignored.

Jilly_in_VA

(13,086 posts)

10. Not this time

Reply to Norrrm (Reply #8)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 12:17 PM

Aug 11

The mayor and the governor won't stand for it.

Always Blue

(69 posts)

9. Epstein Epstein Epstein Epstein

Reply to Jilly_in_VA (Original post)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 12:16 PM

Aug 11

Vinca

(52,734 posts)

11. Can't wait to hear Michael Fanone's take on this. He was nearly killed by the mob the new Orange Chief of Police

Reply to Jilly_in_VA (Original post)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 12:20 PM

Aug 11

sent to the Capitol on January 6. The Orange Felon Chief of Police.

Initech

(106,390 posts)

12. This is some absolute fucking bullshit. He needs to be removed now.

Reply to Jilly_in_VA (Original post)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 12:28 PM

Aug 11

This would end the career of any other politician, but he keeps getting away with it. Time to stop, this has gone far enough!

LetMyPeopleVote

(170,175 posts)

13. trump is lying about crime in D.C.

Reply to Jilly_in_VA (Original post)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 12:47 PM

Aug 11

Someone forgot to take down this webpage:

www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/v...
— Steve Vladeck (@stevevladeck.bsky.social) 2025-08-11T02:22:49.289Z

LetMyPeopleVote

(170,175 posts)

14. Maddow Blog-Trump to deploy the National Guard to D.C., place local police under federal control

Reply to Jilly_in_VA (Original post)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 03:16 PM

Aug 11

If crime rates in the nation’s capital are already at their lowest levels in decades, why is the White House launching yet another power grab?

Fascist Trump to deploy the National Guard to D.C., place local police under federal control.
If crime rates in the nationâ€™s capital are already at their lowest levels in decades, why is the White House launching yet another power grab?
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
— hateGOP (@hategop.bsky.social) 2025-08-11T17:57:53.893Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-deploy-national-guard-dc-place-local-police-federal-control-rcna224303

As for how, exactly, he intends to do this, NBC News reported, “Trump announced this morning that he will federalize the Washington, D.C., police and deploy National Guard troops in an effort to fight crime.”

Trump announces he's placing the DC police department "under direct federal control" and deploying the National Guard in the city
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-08-11T14:42:53.334Z

As far as the White House is concerned, this is apparently the first in a series of related steps. After referencing New York City, Baltimore and Oakland by name, the president told the White House press corps in reference to his new gambit, “This will go further. We’ll starting very strongly with D.C.”

Crime rates in New York City, Baltimore and Oakland have already sharply improved, and while Trump has repeatedly insisted that crime in nation’s capital is “out of control,” in reality, crime in D.C. has dropped..

...

As for the latest announcement, Trump also took the opportunity to share some related thoughts about how his newly deployed forces would treat criminal criminal suspects.

"You knock the hell out of them. It's the only language they understand ... you spit and we hit. And they get hit real hard ... now they are allowed to do whatever they want" -- Trump on the police response to crime in DC
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-08-11T14:50:56.398Z

As for whether any of this is legal, The Washington Post reported, "Under the Home Rule Act, President Donald Trump can assume control of D.C. police for 48 hours if he 'determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist which require the use of the Metropolitan Police force for Federal purposes.' The takeover may be extended with approval of the members of Congress who oversee D.C. affairs. Any request of over 30 days must be passed into law."

The presidential announcement, in other words, was the first step, not the last, and the legal and political disputes that will soon follow are likely to be dramatic. Watch this space.

LetMyPeopleVote

(170,175 posts)

15. Federal law allows Trump to control D.C. police only for 48 hours

Reply to Jilly_in_VA (Original post)

Mon Aug 11, 2025, 03:57 PM

Aug 11

trump cannot control D.C. police for more than 48 hours with congressional approval and congress is in recess

Link to tweet

https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/trump-congress-dc-police-home-rule

President Donald Trump announced the federal government is taking control of Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department. A White House official told NOTUS that the takeover “is expected to last 30 days,” but added that “is subject to change.”

Per federal law, the president can federalize the metropolitan police for 48 hours on his own. To extend that to a maximum of 30 days, the president needs to notify the congressional committees with jurisdiction over Washington, D.C. Anything longer than 30 days has to be authorized by Congress......

The White House has 48 hours from the moment it officially declares control of the D.C. police to notify the four members’ offices. If it fails to do so within that time frame, federal law prohibits the president from keeping control of the department for more than two days.

The politics get more complicated the longer Trump wants to control Washington police. A joint resolution to authorize the federalization of the D.C. police force beyond 30 days would require two-thirds of both chambers to pass, and it’s highly unlikely that Democrats would support it.

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