Trump places Washington DC police under federal control and deploys National Guard
The president says that he’s announcing an “historic action” to “take the capital back”.
He’s invoking section 740, of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, that places the DC Metropolitan police department under direct federal control.
He adds that he’s deploying the national guard to help “re-establish law and order”.
Key events
In response to a question about how personal the issue of crime and homelessness is to the president, Donald Trump says that he wants leaders or dignitaries to come through the capital “beautifully”. He adds, “if our capital is dirty, our whole country is dirty, and they don’t respect us”.
David Smith
Donald Trump made an embarrassing gaffe earlier, when he previewed his meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
He told reporters: “I’m going to see Putin. I’m going to Russia on Friday.”
Alaska has not been part of Russia since 1867, when it was sold to the US for $7.2m. Trump has long been criticised for failing to take a tough stance against Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.
David Smith
In his press conference, where reporters are squeezed into both aisles, Donald Trump continued: “I don’t like being up here talking about how unsafe and how dirty and disgusting this once beautiful Capital was.”
He continued: “We’re declaring a public safety emergency in the District of Columbia and attorney general Pam Bondi is taking command of the Metropolitan police department as of this moment.
“They’ll immediately begin massive enforcement operations targeting known gangs, drug dealers and criminal networks to get them the hell off the street.”
Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, walked to the lectern and told reporters: “This morning, we’ve mobilised the DC national guard … You will see them flowing into the streets of Washington in the coming week.”
Kash Patel, the director of the FBI added: “We’re going to clean up Washington DC. We’re going to do it the right way, the lawful way. We’ll make sure Washington DC is safe again.”
DC attorney general Jeanine Pirro – who was only confirmed to her role on 2 August – says that she sees “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”.
Pirro expresses her frustration with, what she sees as, excessive leniency when it comes to the way juveniles are prosecuted. “I can’t arrest them. I can’t prosecute them,” she says. “They go to family court, and they get to do yoga and arts and crafts. Enough, it changes today.”
Trump: 800 national guardsmen being deployed to Washington DC
Donald Trump is saying that, to begin with, the administration will deploy 800 national guardsmen to support local law enforcement.
He adds that they will add “much more if necessary”.
Trump vows to remove homeless encapments throughout DC
“We’re getting rid of the people from underpasses and public spaces from all over the city,” the president said. “We’re going to help them as much as you can help, but they’ll not be allowed to turn our capital into a wasteland.”
Chris Stein
A block away from the White House, about 200 protesters gathered before his press conference to condemn Donald Trump’s plans to deploy federal law enforcement in Washington DC.
“I’m here this morning to say that nothing Trump is doing right now is about our safety,” said Keya Chatterjee, executive director of Free DC, a group that advocates for the district’s rights.
She criticised the president’s support for cutting Medicaid, firing federal workers and rounding up undocumented immigrants, and argued that his concerns about crime are insincere.
“Trump does not care about DC safety. He cares about control,” she said.
Secretary of defense Pete Hegseth is now speaking about the deployment of the DC National Guard:
We will work alongside all DC police and federal law enforcement to ensure this city is safe. This city is beautiful, and as I always say about President Trump, to the troops, he has their back. 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.
Trump declares ‘public safety emergency’ despite record crime low
The president confirms that attorney general Pam Bondi will now oversee the Metropolitan Police Department, as he declares a “public safety emergency”. This, despite violent crime hitting a 30-year-low in 2024, according to the justice department.
The president is saying that DC’s no cash bail policy is “a disaster”.
“We’re going to change the statute and get rid of some of the other things, and we’ll count on the Republicans in Congress and Senate to vote,” Trump vowed. “Cashless bail, watch what we do with that.”
Trump: ‘You spit, we hit’
Donal Trump is now speaking about how the police are treated during apprehensions.
You know, they love to spit in the face of the police as the police are standing up there in uniform. They’re standing and they’re screaming at them an inch away from their face, and then they start spitting in their face. And I said, ‘you tell them you spit, and we hit’, and they get hit real hard.