Trump orders federal takeover of Washington DC police; deploys National Guard to fight crime
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.
The overwhelmingly Democratic city faces allegations from Republican politicians that it is overrun by crime, plagued by homelessness and financially mismanaged - although violent offences are down.
"This is Liberation Day in DC, and we're going to take our capital back," Trump said.
Trump - a convicted felon who has pardoned around 1,500 people involved in the 2021 US Capitol riot in Washington - complained that police and prosecutors aren't tough enough.
He had repeatedly threatened a federal takeover of the city of 700,000, saying crime in Washington is "totally out of control."
The new approach echoes Trump's immigration policies that have effectively sealed the southern border amid mass deportations while deploying active-duty troops against protesters in Los Angeles.
He told reporters he planned to roll out the policy to other crime-ridden cities, spotlighting problems in New York and Chicago.
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.
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