Trump teases DC crime initiative, orders homeless to move out ASAP
The president threatened to "take Federal control" of Washington, D.C., in an Aug. 5 post complaining about crime. The post came after Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency nicknamed "BigBalls," was assaulted in an attempted carjacking.
"Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control," Trump said on Aug. 5, adding: "If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City."
Days later, Trump ordered an increased federal law enforcement presence on D.C. streets, led by officers from U.S. Park Police and including officers from about a dozen other agencies.
Cruel and unusual punishment?: In major decision, Supreme Court allows cities to ban homeless camps
Violent crime declined by 35% in D.C. in 2024, according to data compiled by the D.C. Metropolitan Police. The 2024 numbers marked the lowest level of violent crime in "over 30 years," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said in a news release.
Homicides dropped by 32%, robberies were down 39% and armed carjackings were down 53%.
Violent crime has declined so far in 2025, according to police data. Homicides and robberies are down 12% and 28%, respectively, while total violent crime is down 26% through Aug. 8 when compared with the same period in 2024.
Homicides spiked in D.C. in 2023 to 274, up from 203 the year before, before dropping down to 187 in 2024, according to police data. That is the lowest level since the city had 166 homicides in 2019. There have been 99 homicides in 2025, compared to 112 during the same period last year.
Trump has long denigrated Washington, D.C, which leans heavily Democratic. He also floated taking over governance of the district in February in comments to reporters, complaining about crime and homelessness.
Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump's bold prediction about Zelensky-less Ukraine peace summit with Putin: ‘I'll know in the first two minutes'
Donald Trump claimed that he would know 'in the first two minutes' of his upcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin if a peace deal could be reached between Russia and Ukraine. 'We're going to have a meeting with Vladimir Putin, and at the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I'll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made,' the president told reporters at a press conference Monday. Asked how he would know, the president replied: 'Because that's what I do. I make deals.' However, Trump later appeared to contradict himself, after saying that it was 'not up to him' if a deal was made or not. 'I'm not going to make a deal. It's not up to me to make a deal. I think a deal should be made for both,' he said. The president is set to meet with the Russian president Friday in Alaska for the 'highly anticipated' meeting, during which the pair will discuss bringing an end to the conflict that has raged since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces in February 2022. Trump briefly appeared to forget the location of the meeting, telling reporters at the press conference that he would be travelling to Russia for the meeting, instead of The Last Frontier. He added that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky 'could' attend the bilateral, but also appeared to question if it would help a deal be reached. 'He wasn't a part of it,' Trump said, speaking about the setting up of the talks. 'I would say he could go, but he's been to a lot of meetings. You know, he's been there for three and a half years. Nothing happened.' He added that, should a 'fair' deal be reached, he would inform the European Union as well as Zelensky, who he would call first 'out of respect.' 'And I may say, 'lots of luck, keep fighting.' Or I may say 'we can make a deal,' he said. Either way, Trump said that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky would be necessary in the future. 'Ultimately, I'm going to put the two of them in a room. I'll be there, or I won't be there, and I think it'll get solved.' Friday's meeting will be the first between a U.S. president and Putin since 2021, when Joe Biden met him in Switzerland, and marks the first time the Russian president has set foot on American soil in a decade. His visit is due to go ahead as planned, despite the fact that he faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. Critics have also noted that Alaska was once owned by Russia, who claimed it during the 1770s and sold it back to the U.S. in 1867. Russian traditionalists have long-since demanded the return of the territory.
Rhyl Journal
36 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Trump to put capital's police under federal control and bring in National Guard
Mr Trump has promised new steps to tackle homelessness and crime in Washington, prompting the city's mayor to voice concerns about the potential use of the National Guard to patrol the streets. Ahead of a news conference, Mr Trump said on social media that the nation's capital would be 'Liberated today!' He said he would end the 'days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people'. For Mr Trump, the effort to take over public safety in Washington reflects a next step in his law enforcement agenda after his aggressive push to stop illegal border crossings. But the move involves at least 500 federal law enforcement officials, raising fundamental questions about how an increasingly emboldened federal government will interact with its state and local counterparts. More than 100 FBI agents and about 40 agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are among federal law enforcement personnel being assigned to patrols in Washington, a person briefed on the plans said. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Marshals Service are also contributing officers. The person was not authorised to publicly discuss personnel matters and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. The Justice Department did not immediately have a comment on Monday morning. Mr Trump said he is invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to deploy members of the National Guard. He compared crime in the American capital with that in other major cities, saying Washington performs poorly on safety relative to the capitals of Iraq, Brazil and Colombia, among others. Mr Trump also said at his news briefing that his administration has started removing homeless encampments 'from all over our parks, our beautiful, beautiful parks'. 'We're getting rid of the slums, too,' he said, adding that the US would not lose its cities and that Washington was just a start. US Attorney General Pam Bondi will be taking over responsibility for Washington's metro police department, he said, while also complaining about potholes and graffiti in the city and calling them 'embarrassing'.
Leader Live
37 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Trump to put capital's police under federal control and bring in National Guard
Mr Trump has promised new steps to tackle homelessness and crime in Washington, prompting the city's mayor to voice concerns about the potential use of the National Guard to patrol the streets. Ahead of a news conference, Mr Trump said on social media that the nation's capital would be 'Liberated today!' He said he would end the 'days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people'. For Mr Trump, the effort to take over public safety in Washington reflects a next step in his law enforcement agenda after his aggressive push to stop illegal border crossings. But the move involves at least 500 federal law enforcement officials, raising fundamental questions about how an increasingly emboldened federal government will interact with its state and local counterparts. More than 100 FBI agents and about 40 agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are among federal law enforcement personnel being assigned to patrols in Washington, a person briefed on the plans said. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Marshals Service are also contributing officers. The person was not authorised to publicly discuss personnel matters and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. The Justice Department did not immediately have a comment on Monday morning. Mr Trump said he is invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to deploy members of the National Guard. He compared crime in the American capital with that in other major cities, saying Washington performs poorly on safety relative to the capitals of Iraq, Brazil and Colombia, among others. Mr Trump also said at his news briefing that his administration has started removing homeless encampments 'from all over our parks, our beautiful, beautiful parks'. 'We're getting rid of the slums, too,' he said, adding that the US would not lose its cities and that Washington was just a start. US Attorney General Pam Bondi will be taking over responsibility for Washington's metro police department, he said, while also complaining about potholes and graffiti in the city and calling them 'embarrassing'.
