There is just one district in the entire country that belongs to all Americans. The District of Columbia (DC) is not a state, though the left hopes it will be someday, but a federal territory controlled by the national government per the US Constitution. And as such, President Donald Trump made clear on Monday (Aug. 11) that he intends to use his considerable power to rid DC not just of its dilapidated areas, violent crime, and homelessness, but its increasingly embarrassing and shameful image as a national capital out of control.
In declaring that Washington has been “taken over by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals," President Trump announced the federalization of the DC Police Department and the deployment of some 1,000 National Guard troops to the district, calling it “liberation day” for the residents of Washington. He decried “roving mobs of wild youth” like the one that recently brutalized DOGE staffer Edward Coristine. That had occurred shortly after another man was shot dead outside a DC hotel; another incident — a shootout in which some 140 rounds of ammo were dispensed — left cars, windows, and apartments destroyed.
Trump has long been inclined to take strong action regarding DC, but these recent incidents led him to finally take charge by declaring an emergency, as he did regarding the southern border, fossil fuel energy production, mineral drilling, and the economy. In fact, this is the ninth emergency declared by the president since he took office in January, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a record for modern-day presidents. This is on top of the 13 emergencies he declared in his first term.
DC, Capital of Crime
In justifying his actions, the president brushed aside statistics showing violent crime in DC has reached a 30-year low:
"The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogota, Colombia, Mexico City, some of the places that you hear about as being the worst places on Earth, much higher … This is much higher. The number of car thefts has doubled over the past five years, and the number of carjackings has more than tripled. Murders in 2023 reached the highest rate, probably ever.”
Indeed, Washington has one of the highest robbery and murder rates among large US cities, with homicides exceeding 27 per 100,000 residents in 2024. And vehicle theft in the District is more than three times the national average, at 842 thefts per 100,000 residents, ranking it among the most dangerous cities in the world. Those of us who reside in outlying areas of the capital region have become increasingly trepidatious about entering the District at night. More and more people openly fear the type of thuggery that led to Trump’s pronouncement.
Jeanine Pirro, longtime Fox News host who was recently named by Trump as US Attorney for DC, was every bit as decisive as the president in identifying the need to take action on gang violence among the young enabled by “absurd laws” passed by the DC City Council: "I see too much violent crime being committed by young punks who think that they can get together in gangs and crews and beat the hell out of you or anyone else. They don't care where they are … they know that we can't touch them … I can't touch you if you're 14, 15, 16, 17 years old and you have a gun. I convict someone of shooting another person with an illegal gun on a public bus, in the chest, with intent to kill. I convict him. You know what the judge gives him? Probation.”
Is Trump Testing the Outer Limits of His Power?
Many questions arise from Trump’s decision. Can he legally take control of the DC police and send in the National Guard? The answer to both is yes, with some limits. The Home Rule Act, passed by Congress in 1973, gives him the power to use the DC police force for “federal purposes” if he determines that there are “special conditions of an emergency nature.” And he has unfettered control over the DC National Guard, unlike in the 50 states, where the Guard is controlled by governors, absent exigent circumstances. Trump has been sued over his deployment of the Guard in California in the wake of rioting there, overriding the command of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Does he have the power to “federalize” DC? Not single-handedly, as the DC City Council has significant control over day-to-day affairs, but the president commands the FBI, US Marshals Service, Secret Service, Park Police, and other federal agencies.
