Hillary Clinton mocked as 'big-time loser'
During a raucous White House press conference Monday, Trump announced the federalization of the D.C. police force and the deployment of hundreds of National Guard troops to streets in order to 'rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.'
The Democrat cited Department of Justice statistics released under the Biden administration in early January, announced by the heavily blue DC's District Attorney. White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson quickly attacked the former Secretary of State on social media. 'On top of being a big-time loser, you're also a massive liar,' Jackson wrote. She referenced a July story in which a police commander was suspended amid accusations of falsifying crime statistics.
Trump took the extraordinary move Monday to make good on his commitment to law and order. 'We're going to take our capitol back,' he added. Flanked by cabinet members Attorney General Pam Bondi, US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro, FBI Director Kash Patel, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Interior Director Doug Burgum, Trump said he would instruct federal law enforcement officials to deploy aggressive tactics against the city's worst offenders.
The president also vowed to clear out camps of homeless people from Washington, DC parks and public lands. 'Our Capital City has been overtaken by violent gangs, bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs and homeless people, and we're not going to let it happen anymore,' he said. 'We're not going to take it.' He also cited specific crimes, including a carjacking involving a former Department of Government Efficiency employee and other violent attacks.
Trump's claim that crime has spiked has been contested by D.C.'s Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, who pointed to stats showing violent crime has decreased in the District since 2023. Violent crime in DC is down 26 percent this year and in 2024 reached a 30-year low, with 190 homicides in 2024 compared to 274 in 2023, according to metro police department statistics.
Trump has also threatened to 'FEDERALIZE this City.' He doesn't have the unilateral power to do such a thing — it would take congressional action, including repealing the 1973 Home Rule Act. While Republicans control both chambers, repeal would likely face a Democratic Senate filibuster and strong opposition from DC's residents. Nevertheless, Senator Mike Lee and Representative Andy Ogles introduced the 'BOWSER Act' in February, which would repeal Home Rule one year after passage.
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