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Axios
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Axios
Trump ups rhetoric on D.C. crime and homelessness amid federal crackdown
President Trump upped his rhetoric about disarray in D.C. over the weekend while federal law enforcement officers spread across the city under a week-long crime crackdown. Why it matters: The president has hinted more action is coming for the District — heplans to host a press conference Monday at 10am with a lofty goal: "ending the Crime, Murder, and Death in our Nation's Capital," per a post on Truth Social. He'll also address cleanliness and "General Physical Renovation" of D.C. The big picture: Trump's view that crime in the nation's capital is "totally out of control" comes as crime is declining in the city. Nonviolent arrests are up under Trump's " D.C. Safe and Beautiful" executive order, which launched a federal task force in March. Driving the news: Trump ordered homeless individuals to "move out" of the city in a Sunday Truth Social post, vowing to "make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before." He promised individuals "places to stay," but "FAR from the Capital." Trump added that "[c]riminals" would be jailed — where he said they "belong" — and that it all will happen "very fast." State of play: The FBI is deploying approximately 120 agents across the city in overnight shifts to assist D.C. police in combating crimes such as carjackings, according to The Washington Post. The Secret Service and the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division have also been instructed to begin patrols. The Trump administration hasn't coordinated with D.C. police on how best to deploy these federal officers across the city, reports the Post. Meanwhile, around 450 federal law enforcement officers from departments including the Amtrak Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of the Interior were deployed Saturday night across the city, Fox 5 reports. Officers made several arrests on Friday and claimed multiple guns, per Fox 5. What they're saying: "In just a few nights, President Trump's bold actions to Make D.C. Safe Again have already removed dangerous weapons and illegal drugs from D.C. streets — and that's not even taking into account the countless potential crimes that were deterred thanks to a large, visible law enforcement presence," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson tells Axios in a statement. Mayor Muriel Bowser, appearing on MSNBC's "The Weekend" Sunday, emphasized the decline in violent crime in the city for the second straight year, saying, "We are not experiencing a crime spike." "Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false," she stated. Between the lines: On Sunday, police chief Pamela Smith announced a temporary Juvenile Curfew Zone in Navy Yard after a teen shooting over the weekend. It prohibits persons under 17 from gathering in groups of nine or more from 8-11pm through Wednesday. Last week, Trump slammed the city for being too lax on juvenile offenders following an assault on a former DOGE staffer, after which two teens were arrested. Context: Last month, the president signed an executive order seeking to make it easier for cities to remove people experiencing homelessness, directing placement in "long-term" institutions for treatment to "restore public order." Advocacy groups slammed the order, which encourages the use of involuntary civil commitment — a process of placing people with mental health issues in treatment facilities without their consent. Between the lines: Trump can't just "federalize" D.C. A takeover would require Congress to overturn the city's home rule, which allows residents to elect their mayor and council members. Under that arrangement, Congress retains oversight of city laws, and the president can temporarily take over D.C. police if he "determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist."
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.
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Trump deploys federal agents to beef up Washington police presence
Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Federal law enforcement agencies began patrolling Washington on Friday morning, after President Donald Trump said this week that crime in the nation's capital is "out of control." The federal policing began at 12:01 a.m. EDT Friday. The new patrols are led by the U.S. Park Police, and will include agents from the U.S. Capitol Police, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, D.C. Metropolitan Police, Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies. "President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C. President Trump is committed to making our nation's capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. The order was announced just hours before the effort was to begin. Trump has been focused on youth crime in the district after a couple of high-profile incidents. On Sunday evening, a former DOGE employee was allegedly attacked near his car in the district, drawing criticism from the president. Police arrested two 15-year-olds the next day It also follows the shooting deaths of two Israeli Embassy workers in May. While these two events have gotten lots of attention in media reports, crime in Washington is actually down. In 2024, violent crime was at a 30-year low, according to federal data, and is down another 26% this year, according to the D.C. Police. But issues with violence in the city are not new. In 2023, the district had the third-highest rate of gun homicides among cities with more than 500,000 people, just behind Memphis and Baltimore, according to Everytown for Gun Safety data. The policing effort is part of the president's "Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful," an executive order announced in March. The order wants to ensure "all applicable quality of life, nuisance, and public-safety laws are strictly enforced," including crimes involving assault, battery, larceny, graffiti, public intoxication and more. Though Trump has mentioned the National Guard in the past, it wasn't immediately clear if it would be involved in this effort. "We're going to beautify the city. We're going to make it beautiful. And what a shame, the rate of crime, the rate of muggings, killings and everything else. We're not going to let it, and that includes bringing in the National Guard maybe very quickly too," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "I think that we should govern District of Columbia. It's so important, the D.C. situation. I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One in February, CNN reported. On Tuesday, Trump wrote in a social media post that teens in the district are too unafraid of consequences. "They are not afraid of Law Enforcement. Because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it's going to happen now!" Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
NBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Federal law enforcement beefs up D.C. presence after Trump decries crime rate
WASHINGTON — Federal agents are expected to have a much stronger and visible presence on the streets of Washington starting Friday following several days of President Donald Trump's bashing the city's crime rate. 'President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Thursday, saying the city 'has been plagued by violent crime for far too long.' 'Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C. President Trump is committed to making our Nation's capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world,' she added. A White House official said the seven-day effort, led by the U.S. Park Police, will focus on high-traffic tourist areas and other hot spots in the nation's capital. Federal officers "will be identified, in marked units, and highly visible," the official said, adding that the operation could extend beyond the weeklong period. Participating agents and officers will come from the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service, among others, the official said. The number of participating agents was not specified. It's also unclear whether they have been directed to engage in 'activity' beyond typical duties or what their role would be beyond being present on federal property, a Washington official said. Trump signed an executive order this year known as 'Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful,' which directs a task force to ensure federal involvement in enforcing U.S. immigration law, shifting available resources toward deporting undocumented immigrants in the Washington area and reviewing federal prosecution policies tied to pretrial detention, among other matters. Trump in recent days has decried 'crime' in the district, even though local police data shows violent crime is down 26% compared with last year. Trump has specifically cited a recent attack on Edward Coristine, a former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency also known by his online name, 'Big Balls,' who was the victim of a carjacking and an assault last weekend, a police report said. Police later arrested two 15-year-olds from Maryland. Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social that 'the Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these 'minors' as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14.' '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,' he added. 'If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City.' Trump has threatened a federal takeover of the Washington government, saying this week that White House lawyers are examining whether Congress should overturn a law known as the Home Rule Act of 1973, which empowers residents to elect their own mayor and City Council members.
India Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Confederate statue which was removed during BLM protests set to be reinstalled
The National Park Service is planning to restore and reinstall a statue of Albert Pike, a Confederate general and Freemason leader, that was toppled during the protests against racism in 2020.'The restoration aligns with federal responsibilities under historic preservation law as well as recent executive orders to beautify the nation's capital and re-instate pre-existing statues,' the National Park Service said in a statement, pointing to President Donald Trump's executive order on Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful and the executive order on Restoring Truth and Sanity to American National Mall and Memorial Parks, manged by the National Parks Service, took it to their social media platform X, to announce that the statue will return its stone base by this erected in 1901, the Albert Pike Memorial was damaged by vandals and removed in 2020. The bronze statue is being repaired and will be returned to its stone base this fall. Learn more at National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) August 4, 2025ALL ABOUT THE STATUE The defaced statue depicts Albert Pike, a Confederate diplomat and general who worked closely with Native Americans from slave-owning tribes that sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War and fought to protect slavery as an institution. He was also a leader of the Freemasons — a secretive fraternal society that included many powerful politicians and elite figures in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was the only standing statue of a confederate general in the was labelled as a racist and was a part of the Ku Klux AGAINST REINSTALLATIONOpposing the restoration plan, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton stated that she would introduce a bill to remove the decision to restore and reinstall the statue of Confederate Albert Pike is indefensible. Pike served dishonorably, misappropriated funds, and was ultimately imprisoned by his fellow troops.I'll reintroduce my bill to remove the Eleanor #DCStatehood Holmes Norton (@EleanorNorton) August 4, 2025"The decision to honour Albert Pike by reinstalling the Pike statue is as odd and indefensible as it is morally objectionable," Norton said. "He resigned in disgrace after committing a war crime and dishonouring even his own Confederate military service. Even those who want Confederate statues to remain standing would have to justify awarding Pike any honour, considering his history."Increased tension and racial equality protests ignited by the death of George Floyd in Minnesota triggered the toppling down of the statue by the protesters.- EndsWith inputs from Reuters
