Explainer: Can Trump take control of Washington to fight the city's crime?
US President Trump has in recent months directed federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI to increase the police presence in Washington.
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to put Washington
under full federal control to reduce crime, even as city officials stressed crime is already falling.
While Trump does have some authority over the capital city's police force and National Guard soldiers, a full federal takeover would likely be blocked in court. Here is why.
What does the constitution say about control of Washington?
The US Constitution, ratified in 1787, provides for the creation of a federal capital district to serve as the permanent seat of the government.
The Constitution makes clear that Congress has complete legislative authority over the district. But Congress has historically delegated at least some of the day-to-day work of municipal government to other entities.
How is the capital governed?
A federal law passed by Congress in 1973, known as the Home Rule Act, allows city residents to elect a mayor and council, who have some autonomy to pass their own laws.
Congress still has budgetary oversight over Washington, however, and can overturn local legislation. Congress did that most recently in 2023, voting to overturn changes to Washington's laws that lowered penalties for some crimes.
Who controls the city's law enforcement?
The Democratic mayor of Washington, Ms Muriel Bowser, has authority over the city's Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). But the Home Rule Act allows the president to take control of the MPD for federal purposes during emergencies if 'special conditions of an emergency nature exist'.
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A presidential takeover is limited to 30 days, unless Congress votes to extend it through a joint resolution.
Mr Trump invoked this part of the Home Rule Act on Aug 11, saying in an executive order that there is a "crime emergency" in the city that necessitates federal management of the police department.
Ms Bowser has pushed back on Mr Trump's claims of unchecked violence, 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.
Violent crime, including murders, spiked in 2023, turning Washington into one of the nation's deadliest cities, according to city police data.
However, that dropped 35 per cent in 2024, according to federal data, and it has fallen an additional 26 per cent in the first seven months of 2025.
Mr Trump also has broad control over the DC National Guard's 2,700 soldiers and airmen. They report directly to the president, unlike counterparts in other states and territories.
The US President said on Aug 11 that he was deploying 800 National Guard troops to Washington.
So can Trump 'federalise' Washington?
It is highly unlikely.
To exert full federal control of Washington, Mr Trump would need Congress to repeal the Home Rule Act.
Such a repeal would require 60 votes in the US Senate, where Mr Trump's Republican Party has a 53-47 advantage.
Democrats have been supportive of home rule for Washington and are not expected to cross party lines to endorse the US President's vision.
But there are ways Mr Trump can exert more influence over the district without fully taking it over.
He has in recent months directed federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI to increase the police presence in Washington.
He has broad authority to reallocate FBI personnel, and in recent months, FBI agents around the country have been given temporary assignments to help with immigration enforcement.
Mr Trump also signed an executive order in March to make Washington "safe and beautiful", establishing a task force to increase police presence in public areas, maximise immigration enforcement, and expedite concealed carry licences.
Can Trump evict Washington's homeless population?
Mr Trump has said
homeless people must move out of Washington , without offering specifics of a plan to accomplish this.
"I'm going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before," the US President said on Truth Social. "The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital."
The federal government owns much of Washington's parkland, so the Trump administration has legal authority to clear homeless encampments in those areas, like President Joe Biden did while in office.
But the federal government cannot force people to move out of the city because they lack shelter, legal experts said. REUTERS
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