First National Guard troops arrive in Washington DC as Trump begins his takeover of capital to bring quick end to crime
The president called the National Guard in on Monday as a way to control crime in the nation's capital.
3
3
3
National Guard members were seen heading into the District of Columbia National Guard Headquarters on Tuesday morning.
Several guards were photographed lugging their bags as they headed into the building.
The president confirmed this week that the DC police department will now be under federal control, as he sent 800 National Guard members to the capital.
"This is Liberation Day in DC, and we're going to take our capital back," Trump said during a press conference.
"I'm announcing a historic action to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse."
Trump said that the capital had been "taken over by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals" as well as "drugged out maniacs and homeless people".
The president called upon Attorney General Pam Bondi to manage the National Guard's takeover of the police department.
Trump argued that DC has worse crime rates than notoriously crime-heavy cities such as Baghdad, Brasilia, San Jose, Colombia, Mexico City, and Lima, Peru.
During his press conference, the president presented a chart that showed each of those cities with lower murder rates than DC.
However, data from the DC police show that violent crime in DC is down 26% compared with last year.
Donald Trump 'readies 1,000 National Guard to go into DC' in new crime crackdown and blasts we 'want our capital back'
The president also threatened to bring in the military to control crime, not just in DC but also in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
"We will bring in the military if it's needed. By the way, we're going to have National Guard, we will bring in the military if needed," he said.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegeseth said they will follow all necessary steps to ensure the safety of the city.
"This city is beautiful, and as I always say about President Trump, to the troops, he has their back,' he said.
Trump Brings National Guard to DC
How Does Federalizing a City's Police Force Work?
The president can take control if local order breaks down or with city approval.
In DC, federal law allows Congress and the president to oversee police under certain rules.
A federal official can be put in charge of the local police temporarily.
How Do Federal Police and the National Guard Work Together?
Federal agents (FBI, DEA, Secret Service) can assist or lead law enforcement efforts.
The National Guard can be called in by the president to support or restore order.
When federalized, the Guard works under federal command but usually does not handle regular policing.
All forces must coordinate closely to avoid overlap and work effectively.
'And my message to the National Guard and federal law enforcement in Washington is we have your back as well.
'Be tough. Be strong. We're right behind you.'
NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYED
This isn't the first time the National Guard has been deployed to DC.
The guard was called into the nation's capital during President Biden's inauguration in January 2021.
The inauguration followed the infamous Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, when violent protestors broke into the Capitol Building.
During Biden's inauguration, over 25,000 National Guardmen were stationed across DC to ensure the safe transition of power, Fox affiliate WDCA reported.
Around 2,000 guardsmen remained in the capital until May to keep the peace of the city.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
4 minutes ago
- Metro
Russia's sinister doomsday radio bursts into life days before Trump-Putin summit
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Russia's 'Doomsday Radio', a lonely rusted radio station in a forest north of Moscow, has woken up. UVB-76, used during the height of the Cold War by the KGB, has for decades been sputtering bizarre beeps and cryptic gobbledygook. The short-wave station broadcast the words, 'schesolub', 'druzhnost', 'kener', 'ryushny', 'dzhinochili' and 'lyukospas' yesterday. According to a Telegram account that monitors the station, it also bleeped: 'ZHTI 12687 TOLKOSRAM 9585 4510.' The transmission lasted one minute and 12 seconds, the account, UVB-76 logs, said. Telegram channel Militarist said the message was similar to one broadcast in the first 10 days of January 2022, just before Russia launched its war against Ukraine. It comes only days ahead of US President Donald Trump's high-stakes meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. In a rambling news conference on Monday, Trump said he planned to hash out with the Russian president 'land swaps' in a bid to end the Ukraine war. 'I'm going to Russia on Friday,' Trump told reporters. Alaska has not been a part of Russia since 1897. UVB-76, in a military zone classified in Povarovo, goes by many names. For at least the decade leading up to 1992, it broadcast almost nothing but beeps before switching to buzzes, about 34 per minute, giving it the nickname 'The Buzzer'. The station sporadically emits garbled audio messages, which tend to peak around 1pm, which can include Russian names. In 2001, the station broadcast in Russian: 'I am 143. Not receiving the generator [oscillator]… that stuff comes from hardware room.' Crackly French conversations have also been signalled, as have popular songs like Ganhgam Style by K-pop star Psy. Observers say these strange words likely covert military orders, such as for the Kremlin to push the 'dead man's switch', to trigger a nuclear attack. More Trending This has given the monotone outpost the nicknames 'Dead Hand Radio' or 'Judgement Day Radio'. But officials have never disclosed what the radio's purpose is exactly. Roskomnadzor, Russia's censor-loving telecommunications regulator, only publicly acknowledged its existence in June. The agency told RT that information about the 'user of the radio frequency spectrum… is not publicly available'. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: What could the planned UFC fight at the White House look like? MORE: Could Putin be arrested in the US during Trump meeting? MORE: The islands where America and Russia are 2 miles and 21 hours apart
Metro
4 minutes ago
- Metro
What could the planned UFC fight at the White House look like?
It's a seismic moment in a sporting promotion that has had a stratospheric rise since its inception three decades ago. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to be staged at The White House next year, when longtime fan Donald Trump is likely to be in the front row as the fighters battle it out on the lawn. Marking the July 4 celebrations, 250 years on from the founding of the United States, it promises to be quite a spectacle. And British and Irish MMA fighters will almost certainly be entering the Octagon if the history-making event goes ahead. UFC boss Dana White, whose friendship with Trump stretches back to the early 2000s, said: 'It is definitely going to happen.' White explained that he plans to finalise the plans with the US president and his daughter Ivanka at the end of the month. While the UFC has been staged all over the world, it would be the first time that it has been hosted in the seat of power. The main fight events are large arena shows drawing tens of thousands of people, and it's unclear where exactly where the show would take place, but it's thought it would be staged on the lawn. 'When he called me and asked me to do it, he said, 'I want Ivanka in the middle of this,'' White told CBS Mornings of his discussions with Trump. 'So Ivanka reached out to me and her and I started talking about the possibilities, where it would be and, you know, I put together all the renderings.' Trump previously said that a UFC event will take place 'on the grounds of the White House' on Independence Day. 'We have a lot of land there,' he added. The president, speaking at a rally in Iowa last month, said the event could be staged in front of between 20,000 and 25,000 people. An AI image produced by a picture agency shows the eight-sided cage in front of the presidential building in Washington DC. In real life, the arena would likely be comprised of thousands of seats, with room for light shows and performers. What is clear is that the UFC can put on extravagant shows, best exemplified by the dazzling spectacle at the Las Vegas Sphere for Mexican Independence Weekend in September 2024. British undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is the most obvious pick for a UK fighter to feature on the White House card. However, in conversation with combat sports broadcaster Ariel Helwani, it became clear that he is concentrating on his upcoming fight with Frenchman Ciryl Gane in October. Aspinall said the thought of a White House fight with Jon 'Bones' Jones, widely regarded as having ducked the Brit before leaving retiring, had occupied 'zero seconds in my mind.' The champion, from Wigan, explained: 'Not interested, and the world shouldn't be interested, because what's the point? It's false hope.' Asked if he would still be interested in fighting at the White House without Jones making an unlikely comeback, he replied: 'Not particularly, it doesn't not interest me, but it doesn't really interest me to be honest. I'm not really fussed by it, I'll fight anywhere, it doesn't really bother me. 'It would be a cool experience but I'm not like…I feel like the Americans should get the shot at the White House, I'm not American, Trump and the political stance in America doesn't really bother me. 'I'm not really a big Trump supporter or against that stuff is just irrelevant to me.' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Conor McGregor is another name from this side of the pond who has been linked with an appearance at the White House show. Also speaking to Helwani, UFC fighter Michael Chandler, who was soundly beaten by Scouser Paddy Pimblett in April, said he would 'love' to fight the Irish former two-times champion at the venue. More Trending 'That's the one everyone wants, that's the pinnacle,' he said of the yet to be announced White House card. 'As a fighter you want the biggest stages the brightest lights the biggest money you possibly can with the shortest window of opportunity you have in the sport and fighting on the White House lawn with the president of the United States… 'I was just with someone else from his team and he said people from England will be coming to pay their respects, it's going to be special.' MORE: Conor McGregor's 'Bucked Up' energy drink disappears after Wetherspoons pulls Forged stout MORE: MMA fighter shaken after man tracked her down to Dubai hotel from social media post MORE: Ex-UFC fighter in fresh bid for jail pardon after role in £53,000,000 Securitas heist Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact
Spectator
4 minutes ago
- Spectator
Zelensky prepares to woo Trump one last time
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Berlin this morning, where at 3pm local time he will speak to Donald Trump and his vice president J.D. Vance over video alongside other European leaders to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine. The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz brokered the meeting following the news that the American president would be meeting Vladimir Putin in Alaska this coming Friday to discuss a peace deal – without Zelensky present. Ahead of Zelensky's summit with Trump and Vance, the Ukrainian president and Merz will first convene a virtual meeting with his strongest European allies. Scheduled for 2pm Berlin time, they will be joined by British PM Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italy's Giorgia Meloni, EU and Nato chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Mark Rutte, as well as the leaders of Poland, Finland and the European Council. The aim of this preliminary meeting is to agree on a joint position on how best to present Ukraine's case to Trump ahead of his meeting with Putin in two days' time. The American President's declaration earlier this week that he would be discussing 'land swaps' with his Russian counterpart has caused alarm with Zelensky and his allies, who are concerned that Trump could sign away Ukrainian territory to the Kremlin without consultation or permission. Ukraine's European allies are said to be weighing up an attempt to extract a promise from the President not to do so – although given his volatile nature, any such promise from Trump, even if it did materialise, would bear little weight. They reportedly also plan to warn Trump not to trust any promises made by Putin to stick to a ceasefire, as well as discuss how best to prepare Ukraine for eventual full peace negotiations. Merz and Zelensky will then debrief on the meeting with Trump and Vance alongside the other members of the 'Coalition of the Willing' – those countries, pulled together by Starmer and Macron, who have expressed a desire to back Ukraine financially and militarily in the event of a peace deal with Russia. The public won't have long to wait to hear how today's discussions go: Merz and Zelensky will hold a joint press conference at 4pm local time. Nevertheless, with the notoriously thin-skinned Trump holding Ukraine's fate in his unpredictable hands, don't expect either Merz or Zelensky to air any disagreements with the President that may surface in the coming hours.
