Washington DC being federalized? What to know about Donald Trump's latest order after DOGE staffer attacked
The announcement comes after President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he was considering taking control of the Washington DC police department, after a violent attack on a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer.
Elon Musk, who headed DOGE, and was Trump's advisor till their rather public fallout and the Tesla CEO's departure, also called for the federalization of DC.
Meanwhile, announcing the White House's decision, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, 'Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long. President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C. President Trump is committed to making our Nation's capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world.'
What does Donald Trump's latest order say
This enhanced presence of officers will begin as midnight, The Hill reported. It will be led by agents of the U.S. Park Police, along with officials from FBI, DEA, ATF, divisions of ICE, and other agencies.
Federal law enforcement will be in marked units, the White House further said.
Thursday's order comes after the executive order in March, which established the Making D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, which aims 'to ensure effective federal participation' in enforcing immigration laws.
Trump's latest order comes after Edward Coristine, known as 'Big Balls', was attacked earlier this week, and cops have said two 15-year-olds were apprehended in the matter for attempted carjacking. Despite Trump's claims about crime in DC, numbers show crime was down 35 per cent in 2024 in DC, from the previous year. This marked a 30-year-low, The Hill reported, adding that data from the district shows the downward trend continuing.
Amid Trump's order, several posts on X have called for DC to be fully federalized. 'I support Trump 100% to federalize Washington DC!,' one user noted.
Others, sharing the news of Trump's latest edict, said 'NEXT STEP, WE FEDERALIZE DC. TIME FOR LAW AND ORDER'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
a few seconds ago
- Hindustan Times
Senior Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao taken in for questioning: Report
Liu Jianchao, a senior Chinese diplomat widely seen as a potential future foreign minister, has been taken away by authorities for questioning, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. His detention marks the highest-level probe involving a diplomat since China ousted its former foreign minister and President Xi Jinping's protégé, Qin Gang.(AFP File Photo) Liu was taken away after returning to Beijing in late July from an overseas work trip, WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter. China's State Council Information Office, which handles media queries for the Chinese government, and the Chinese Communist Party International Liaison Department did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Liu, 61, has led the Communist Party's body in charge of managing ties with foreign political parties. Since taking the role in 2022, he has travelled to more than 20 nations and met officials from more than 160 countries. Liu's busy schedule, especially his meetings with the former U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, stoked expectations that the former ambassador and ministry spokesman was being groomed to be the next foreign minister. His detention marks the highest-level probe involving a diplomat since China ousted its former foreign minister and President Xi Jinping's protégé, Qin Gang, in 2023 following rumours of an extramarital affair. Born in the northeastern province of Jilin, Liu majored in English at Beijing Foreign Studies University and studied international relations at Oxford before taking up his first post as a translator with the foreign ministry. He has served in China's mission to Britain and later as ambassador to Indonesia and the Philippines. During his time as ministry spokesman, he was known for humorous off-the-cuff comments while making a no-nonsense defence of China's interests.
NDTV
15 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Perfect Time To...": Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon Slam Trump's India Tariffs
Late-night show hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon have slammed US President Donald Trump for imposing a 50 per cent tariff on India. Mr Trump has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including 25 per cent that kicked in on Thursday and another 25 per cent due to come into effect on August 28 as a penalty for buying Russian oil. During his "The Late Show", Mr Colbert said President Trump's tariffs on India will raise the price of items like gauze, bandages, and wading. "Yeah, yeah. Perfect time to introduce my new product, Steve's wad. What's in them? What do you care? You're bleeding. It's a wad," he joked during the show on Thursday. "I hope you remembered to set your clocks back to 'more expensive,'" he said after Mr Trump's sweeping new tariffs on more than 90 countries around the world came into effect Calling Mr Trump's tariffs"huge", he said the US administration has raised the import taxes to the highest level since the Great Depression in 1929. "Never a great sign to be compared to the worst thing ever," Mr Colbert said. He said that another country Mr Trump is "punishing" is Brazil, which is also facing a 50 per cent tariff. It is "bad news for meat-based Americans", Mr Colbert said. Jimmy Fallon Slams Trump's India Tariffs Jimmy Fallon also slammed Donald Trump's tariffs on India. "Well, guys, today more of President Trump's tariffs went into effect for more than 90 countries, including Canada, Brazil and India. The only places Trump didn't charge are North Korea and Epstein Island," he said Thursday. Mr Fallon's remarks came amid the Trump administration facing backlash over handling the case of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. "Meanwhile, 50 per cent of tariffs on Brazil will dramatically raise the price of bananas, mangos and pineapples. Edible Arrangements was like, 'As long as you don't raise the price of cantaloupe and long toothpicks, we're good,'" Mr Fallon added. "Even toilet paper will get more expensive. You know it's bad when people come out of the bathroom like, 'Hey, where's that long CVS receipt?'" he said.
New Indian Express
31 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Armenians caught between hope and distrust after accord with Azerbaijan
YEREVAN: The streets were almost deserted in Yerevan Saturday because of the summer heat, but at shaded parks and fountains, Armenians struggled to make sense of what the accord signed a day earlier in Washington means for them. The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, two Caucasian countries embroiled in a territorial conflict since the fall of the USSR, met Friday and signed a peace treaty under the watch of US President Donald Trump. In Yerevan, however, few of the people asked by AFP were enthusiastic. 'Acceptable' "It's a good thing that this document was signed because Armenia has no other choice," said Asatur Srapyan, an 81-year-old retiree. He believes Armenia hasn't achieved much with this draft agreement, but it's a step in the right direction. "We are very few in number, we don't have a powerful army, we don't have a powerful ally behind us, unlike Azerbaijan," he said. "This accord is a good opportunity for peace." Maro Huneyan, a 31-year-old aspiring diplomat, also considers the pact "acceptable", provided it does not contradict her country's constitution. "If Azerbaijan respects all the agreements, it's very important for us. But I'm not sure it will keep its promises and respect the points of the agreement," she added. 'Endless concessions' But Anahit Eylasyan, 69, opposes the agreement and, more specifically, the plan to create a transit zone crossing Armenia to connect the Nakhchivan region to the rest of Azerbaijan. "We are effectively losing control of our territory. It's as if, in my own apartment, I had to ask a stranger if I could go from one room to another," she explains. She also hopes not to see Russia, an ally of Armenia despite recent tensions, expelled from the region." Anahit also criticizes Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for "making decisions for everyone" and for his "endless concessions to Azerbaijan". "We got nothing in exchange, not our prisoners, nor our occupied lands, nothing. It's just a piece of paper to us," she fumes. Shavarsh Hovhannisyan, a 68-year-old construction engineer, agrees, saying the agreement "is just an administrative formality that brings nothing to Armenia." "We can't trust Azerbaijan," Hovhannisyan asserted, while accusing Pashinyan of having "turned his back" on Russia and Iran. "It's more of a surrender document than a peace treaty, while Trump only thinks about his image, the Nobel Prize." 'More stability... in the short term' According to President Trump, Armenia and Azerbaijan have committed "to stop all fighting forever; open up commerce, travel and diplomatic relations; and respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity." For Olesya Vartanyan, an independent researcher specializing in the Caucasus, the Washington agreement "certainly brings greater stability and more guarantees for the months, if not years, to come." But given the long-lasting tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, "I fear that we will have to plan only for the very short term," she said.
