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Sky News AU
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Donald Trump vows to push homeless people out of Washington DC, jail criminals: ‘We want our Capital back'
President Trump promised Sunday to crack down hard on Washington, DC's plights, forcing the homeless out of the nation's capital and quickly jailing criminals who roam the streets 'I'm going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before,' Trump vowed on Truth Social, saying: 'We want our Capital BACK.' 'The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.' 'The Criminals, you don't have to move out. We're going to put you in jail where you belong. It's all going to happen very fast, just like the Border,' he added. 'This will be easier — Be prepared! There will be no 'MR. NICE GUY.'' Trump teased more specifics to come in a news conference Monday. The president recently erupted with rage at the spate of crime roiling Washington, DC, after former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine, also known as 'Big Balls,' was bludgeoned around 3 a.m. last Sunday. Coristine, 19, who has since moved to the Social Security Administration, was assaulted by about 10 juveniles after attempting to intervene in an apparent carjacking, according to a police report. At least two of his alleged attackers were later arrested, and there is a $10,000 award for information that leads to the apprehension of the others. Trump shared a picture of Coristine bloodied from the attack near DuPont Circle, roughly a mile away from the White House. Last Thursday, the president announced plans to deploy federal law enforcement across DC to tamp down on crime. Unlike other cities in the US, DC is governed by the 1973 Home Rule Act, which delegates certain powers to its mayor and the Council of the District of Columbia. Congress has to review any laws the council passed and can overrule them, though it rarely does. Some Republicans have floated a federal takeover of DC to address crime within the city. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), who is a staunch advocate of autonomy for the nation's capital, said the city will work cooperatively with federal law enforcement. 'I suspect that his announcement is that he is surging federal law enforcement and he may talk about even larger numbers or longer periods of time,' she told MSNBC's 'The Weekend.' 'He's interested in being in neighborhoods, fighting crime in neighborhoods.' 'We are not experiencing a crime spike.' Despite her differences with Trump, Bowser has sought to refrain from alienating him. She met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last year and privately expressed that she shares his goal of making DC safer and cleaner. Violent crime in DC is down 26% from last year, homicides are down 12%, and overall crime is down 7%, according to data from the DC Metropolitan Police Department. Violent crime in 2024 had fallen 35% from 2023. Still, DC has one of the highest homicide rates in the country, notching fourth place in 2023, according to USA Facts. 'It is our capital city. It is more violent than Baghdad. It is more violent than parts of Ethiopia, than parts of many of the most dangerous places in the world,' Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, told reporters last week. The data on how DC stacks up against Baghdad is a bit murky. Originally published as Donald Trump vows to push homeless people out of Washington DC, jail criminals: 'We want our Capital back'
New York Post
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump vows to push homeless people out of DC, jail criminals: ‘We want our Capital BACK'
WASHINGTON — President Trump promised Sunday to crack down hard on Washington, DC's plights, forcing the homeless out of the nation's capital and quickly jailing criminals who roam the streets 'I'm going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before,' Trump vowed on Truth Social, saying: 'We want our Capital BACK.' 'The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.' 'The Criminals, you don't have to move out. We're going to put you in jail where you belong. It's all going to happen very fast, just like the Border,' he added. 'This will be easier — Be prepared! There will be no 'MR. NICE GUY.'' Trump teased more specifics to come in a news conference Monday. The president recently erupted with rage at the spate of crime roiling Washington, DC, after former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine, also known as 'Big Balls,' was bludgeoned around 3 a.m. last Sunday. 4 President Trump has long groused about the conditions in Washington, DC. REUTERS 4 The president did not detail where he intends to send DC's homeless population. Getty Images Coristine, 19, who has since moved to the Social Security Administration, was assaulted by about 10 juveniles after attempting to intervene in an apparent carjacking, according to a police report. At least two of his alleged attackers were later arrested, and there is a $10,000 award for information that leads to the apprehension of the others. Trump shared a picture of Coristine bloodied from the attack near DuPont Circle, roughly a mile away from the White House. Last Thursday, the president announced plans to deploy federal law enforcement across DC to tamp down on crime. Unlike other cities in the US, DC is governed by the 1973 Home Rule Act, which delegates certain powers to its mayor and the Council of the District of Columbia. Congress has to review any laws the council passed and can overrule them, though it rarely does. 4 Like many major cities, Washington, DC, has homeless encampments all over the place. dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images Some Republicans have floated a federal takeover of DC to address crime within the city. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), who is a staunch advocate of autonomy for the nation's capital, said the city will work cooperatively with federal law enforcement. 'I suspect that his announcement is that he is surging federal law enforcement and he may talk about even larger numbers or longer periods of time,' she told MSNBC's 'The Weekend.' 'He's interested in being in neighborhoods, fighting crime in neighborhoods.' 'We are not experiencing a crime spike.' Despite her differences with Trump, Bowser has sought to refrain from alienating him. She met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last year and privately expressed that she shares his goal of making DC safer and cleaner. 4 DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has sought to court close ties with President Trump despite their disagreements on key issues. The Washington Post via Getty Images Violent crime in DC is down 26% from last year, homicides are down 12%, and overall crime is down 7%, according to data from the DC Metropolitan Police Department. Violent crime in 2024 had fallen 35% from 2023. Still, DC has one of the highest homicide rates in the country, notching fourth place in 2023, according to USA Facts. 'It is our capital city. It is more violent than Baghdad. It is more violent than parts of Ethiopia, than parts of many of the most dangerous places in the world,' Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, told reporters last week. The data on how DC stacks up against Baghdad is a bit murky.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
President Trump orders federal law enforcement officers to patrol Washington, D.C. streets
President Trump's order to federal agents came just days after a high-profile former DOGE staffer was assaulted by a group of teenagers in Washington, D.C., during an attempted carjacking. WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump ordered an increased federal law enforcement presence across the streets of Washington, D.C. for the next week as he railed against the city's crime rate and continued to float a federal takeover of the nation's capital. Trump directed the unspecified number of federal agents on the night of Thursday Aug. 7, just days after an assault on a high-profile staffer of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old nicknamed "Big Balls," was attacked by a group of teenagers during an early morning attempted carjacking last weekend. "The Crime situation in Washington, just like our Southern Border where ZERO Illegals entered in the last three months, will be a safe place very soon," Trump said in an Aug. 7 social media post that highlighted the attack on Coristine. "Thank you for your bravery and heart." More: Early DOGE staffer assaulted in DC during attempted carjacking Federal law enforcement officials will concentrate in high-trafficked tourist areas and "other known hotspots," the White House said. It will begin as a seven-day effort with an option for Trump to extend "as needed." The additional federal officers are to be identified in marked units, according to the White House. The move follows an executive order Trump signed in March that established a "Making D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force" composed of federal department heads who were instructed to "maximize resources" to make the District of Columbia safe. 'Washington, D.C. is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. "President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. There will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C." Leavitt added that Trump is "committed to making our Nation's capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world." A spokeswoman for Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declined to comment. The White House pointed to several examples of violent crime in Washington this year including the May 21 fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers outside a downtown museum (The suspect is from Chicago.) as well as the recent assault on Coristine. Nevertheless, Washington's crime rate is down this year compared to 2024. Violent crimes are 26% lower than last year. Homicides are down 12%, according to statistics compiled by the Metropolitian Police Department. Crime in Washington also fell from 2023 to 2024, with homicides dropping from 274 to 187. Carjacking declined about 50% but were still above pre-pandemic levels, according to the Washington Post. More: Trump says feds should 'take over' and govern Washington, D.C. Trump has long denigrated Washington, D.C, which leans heavily Democratic. Earlier in the week, Trump threatened to take over governance of the district if the crime situation isn't improved ‒ something he floated previously in February. "If D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they're not going to get away with it anymore," Trump said in an Aug. 5 post on Truth Social. Such action would require approval by Congress. The District of Columbia is a federal enclave under jurisdiction of the U.S. government. The District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 gave the city local governance, including an elected mayor and city council. Two congressional Republicans, Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, this month introduced legislation to repeal the Home Rule Act. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
5 takeaways on Trump's threat to federalize DC
President Trump is threatening to federalize the District of Columbia — and the catalyst is an unusual one. In the early hours of Sunday, a young man was allegedly beaten in an attempted carjacking in the nation's capital. The man in question is Edward Coristine, who had a burst of fame earlier this year owing to the combination of his role in Elon Musk's quasi-official Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and his nickname: 'Big Balls.' Trump on Tuesday afternoon posted a message on social media that included a photo of a bloodied Coristine and the president's sentiments that crime in Washington was 'totally out of control.' Although Trump neither named Coristine nor made any reference to his DOGE role, he added that 'if D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run.' Asked at a White House event with Apple's Tim Cook on Wednesday afternoon about overturning home rule for D.C., Trump replied, 'We're going to look at that. In fact, the lawyers are already studying it.' Those remarks mark a new phase in Trump's tumultuous relationship with the city. Here are the main takeaways. What can Trump do? Trump would struggle to fully federalize D.C. because doing so would require a repeal of the law that gives Washington its current measure of self-government — the Home Rule Act of 1973. Repeal would need the approval of the House and the Senate. Trump might well be able to get such a measure through the lower chamber, but he would struggle mightily to overcome Democratic resistance in the Senate. Trump would need a filibuster-proof majority of 60 votes, and there are only 53 Republicans. However, as The Washington Post and others have noted, a president does have other powers that can be used at his discretion. One enables Trump to take control of the district's police — the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) — on a temporary basis. Asked about that on Wednesday afternoon, Trump replied, 'We're considering it, yeah.' He could also call out the National Guard, which he also suggested Wednesday afternoon was under consideration. In full states, that power rests with the governor — though of course that did not prevent Trump from calling out the National Guard in California in June, despite the opposition of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Trump also has all kinds of other leverage to get what he wants in D.C., owing to how closely the city's fortunes are tied to the federal government. But full federalization seems a big stretch. Violent crime is in decline in Washington Trump's claim that violent crime is 'out of control' is a subjective judgment. But if his intent was to suggest that such crime is rising, that's incorrect. The latest figures from the MPD show violent crime overall as having declined 26 percent relative to this time last year. Declines are seen across every category: Robberies are down 29 percent; assaults with a deadly weapon are down 20 percent; and sex abuse, the category that includes rape, is down 48 percent. Murders are down 12 percent. Those figures are all the more impressive because the crime figures last year were markedly down from the year before. Homicides fell 32 percent in 2024 as a whole relative to 2023. The 2024 figures were heralded by the Department of Justice in early January — when former President Biden was still in the White House — as representing the lowest level of violent crime in the district 'in over 30 years.' A delicate balancing act for the D.C. mayor District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) was a Trump foe in his first term. Her stance was most clearly on display in 2020 when she greenlighted the renaming of a street within view of the White House as 'Black Lives Matter Plaza,' following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But Bowser has been more conciliatory this time around, as seen when she praised the efforts of a task force that was set up by Trump in a March executive order. Much of her changed tone is to do with economics. During last year's election campaign, Trump pledged to move up to 100,000 federal jobs out of the D.C. region, which would be fiscally disastrous for the city. His cuts to agencies are already having an effect. Bowser's position is also a reflection of how much sway the Republican-controlled Congress has over the district. The D.C. budget got a $1.1 billion hole blown in it in March, when a federal government funding bill forced a return to 2024 budget levels. Trump's words this week call Bowser's strategy into question. Her relatively mild approach to Trump in his second term also holds its own political dangers in a fiercely Democratic city. Former Vice President Kamala Harris received almost 93 percent of the vote in the district last November. D.C. has long been a GOP target Trump has lashed out at Washington plenty of times before — and not only in terms of supposedly 'draining the swamp.' In 2023, he complained about driving through the city and seeing 'the filth and the decay, and all of the broken buildings and walls and the graffiti.' During the same period he also judged the district to be a 'filthy and crime ridden embarrassment to our nation.' This time around, Trump has allies who want to push the antagonism toward the district even further. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) earlier this year introduced legislation aimed at repealing the Home Rule Act. But clashes between Republicans and the district are nothing new. For a start, the long-running campaign for full statehood is adamantly opposed by the GOP because its success would in effect guarantee two extra Democratic senators. Back in the days of D.C.'s most controversial mayor, the late Marion Barry (D), a GOP-led Congress took back much of the control over the district's finances, hamstringing Barry in his fourth and final term. Separate from partisan politics per se, the history of D.C.'s relationship with the federal government is deeply intertwined with race and racism. The city had a measure of self-government in the early 19th century — until the right to vote was extended to include Black men, whereupon Congress seized control within a few years. Between then and the 1970s, presidential appointees ran the city — an increasingly untenable paternalism in a city that was then majority-Black. Black Washingtonians are no longer an outright majority, but they continue to represent a plurality of the district's population. A strange coincidence The fact that the precipitating incident for Trump's latest volleys at the district revolves around Coristine is a curious coincidence. It also provided some opportunity for mischief for headline writers. 'Trump threatens D.C. takeover to avenge 'Big Balls'' was New York Magazine's framing of the story. There is no doubt that an incident occurred. Two people, both aged 15, have been charged with unarmed carjacking in the matter. There is also no evidence that the incident had anything to do with Coristine's role in the government or his position with DOGE, which has come under tremendous criticism in Washington, D.C. If any other 19-year-old had been the target of an alleged carjacking in the Capitol city, however, it is unclear that it would have received the attention of this incident. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
5 takeaways on Trump's threat to federalize DC
President Trump is threatening to federalize the District of Columbia — and the catalyst is an unusual one. In the early hours of Sunday, a young man was allegedly beaten in an attempted carjacking in the nation's capital. The man in question is Edward Coristine, who had a burst of fame earlier this year owing to the combination of his role in Elon Musk's quasi-official Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and his nickname: 'Big Balls.' Trump on Tuesday afternoon posted a message on social media that included a photo of a bloodied Coristine and the president's sentiments that crime in Washington was 'totally out of control.' Although Trump neither named Coristine nor made any reference to his DOGE role, he added that 'if D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run.' Asked at a White House event with Apple's Tim Cook on Wednesday afternoon about overturning home rule for D.C., Trump replied, 'We're going to look at that. In fact, the lawyers are already studying it.' Those remarks mark a new phase in Trump's tumultuous relationship with the city. Here are the main takeaways. What can Trump do? Trump would struggle to fully federalize D.C. because doing so would require a repeal of the law that gives Washington its current measure of self-government — the Home Rule Act of 1973. Repeal would need the approval of the House and the Senate. Trump might well be able to get such a measure through the lower chamber, but he would struggle mightily to overcome Democratic resistance in the Senate. Trump would need a filibuster-proof majority of 60 votes, and there are only 53 Republicans. However, as The Washington Post and others have noted, a president does have other powers that can be used at his discretion. One enables Trump to take control of the district's police — the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) — on a temporary basis. Asked about that on Wednesday afternoon, Trump replied, 'We're considering it, yeah.' He could also call out the National Guard, which he also suggested Wednesday afternoon was under consideration. In full states, that power rests with the governor — though of course that did not prevent Trump from calling out the National Guard in California in June, despite the opposition of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Trump also has all kinds of other leverage to get what he wants in D.C., owing to how closely the city's fortunes are tied to the federal government. But full federalization seems a big stretch. Violent crime is in decline in Washington Trump's claim that violent crime is 'out of control' is a subjective judgment. But if his intent was to suggest that such crime is rising, that's incorrect. The latest figures from the MPD show violent crime overall as having declined 26 percent relative to this time last year. Declines are seen across every category: Robberies are down 29 percent; assaults with a deadly weapon are down 20 percent; and sex abuse, the category that includes rape, is down 48 percent. Murders are down 12 percent. Those figures are all the more impressive because the crime figures last year were markedly down from the year before. Homicides fell 32 percent in 2024 as a whole relative to 2023. The 2024 figures were heralded by the Department of Justice in early January — when former President Biden was still in the White House — as representing the lowest level of violent crime in the district 'in over 30 years.' A delicate balancing act for the D.C. mayor District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) was a Trump foe in his first term. Her stance was most clearly on display in 2020 when she greenlighted the renaming of a street within view of the White House as 'Black Lives Matter Plaza,' following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But Bowser has been more conciliatory this time around, as seen when she praised the efforts of a task force that was set up by Trump in a March executive order. Much of her changed tone is to do with economics. During last year's election campaign, Trump pledged to move up to 100,000 federal jobs out of the D.C. region, which would be fiscally disastrous for the city. His cuts to agencies are already having an effect. Bowser's position is also a reflection of how much sway the Republican-controlled Congress has over the district. The D.C. budget got a $1.1 billion hole blown in it in March, when a federal government funding bill forced a return to 2024 budget levels. Trump's words this week call Bowser's strategy into question. Her relatively mild approach to Trump in his second term also holds its own political dangers in a fiercely Democratic city. Former Vice President Kamala Harris received almost 93 percent of the vote in the district last November. D.C. has long been a GOP target Trump has lashed out at Washington plenty of times before — and not only in terms of supposedly 'draining the swamp.' In 2023, he complained about driving through the city and seeing 'the filth and the decay, and all of the broken buildings and walls and the graffiti.' During the same period he also judged the district to be a 'filthy and crime ridden embarrassment to our nation.' This time around, Trump has allies who want to push the antagonism toward the district even further. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) earlier this year introduced legislation aimed at repealing the Home Rule Act. But clashes between Republicans and the district are nothing new. For a start, the long-running campaign for full statehood is adamantly opposed by the GOP because its success would in effect guarantee two extra Democratic senators. Back in the days of D.C.'s most controversial mayor, the late Marion Barry (D), a GOP-led Congress took back much of the control over the district's finances, hamstringing Barry in his fourth and final term. Separate from partisan politics per se, the history of D.C.'s relationship with the federal government is deeply intertwined with race and racism. The city had a measure of self-government in the early 19th century — until the right to vote was extended to include Black men, whereupon Congress seized control within a few years. Between then and the 1970s, presidential appointees ran the city — an increasingly untenable paternalism in a city that was then majority-Black. Black Washingtonians are no longer an outright majority, but they continue to represent a plurality of the district's population. A strange coincidence The fact that the precipitating incident for Trump's latest volleys at the district revolves around Coristine is a curious coincidence. It also provided some opportunity for mischief for headline writers. 'Trump threatens D.C. takeover to avenge 'Big Balls'' was New York Magazine's framing of the story. There is no doubt that an incident occurred. Two people, both aged 15, have been charged with unarmed carjacking in the matter. There is also no evidence that the incident had anything to do with Coristine's role in the government or his position with DOGE, which has come under tremendous criticism in Washington, D.C. If any other 19-year-old had been the target of an alleged carjacking in the Capitol city, however, it is unclear that it would have received the attention of this incident.
