Trump deploys National Guard in D.C.

In a rare press briefing room appearance, President Donald Trump invoked a section of the Home Rule Act, which gives the District of Columbia the right to govern itself. Flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pamela Bondi, Trump said crime in the nation’s capital has risen to an emergency level. He announced he is taking control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deploying the National Guard. He said he is doing so to reestablish law and order. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said she is also looking into sentencing reforms, particularly for juvenile children.

According to the Home Rule Act, Trump may control the district’s law enforcement for 30 days. It could be extended if both chambers of Congress pass a joint resolution to authorize the deployment of federal resources. The president appointed Drug Enforcement Agency Administrator Terry Cole as the interim commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department. Trump said that if the federalization of D.C. works well, he might consider similar actions in other major cities like Chicago, Baltimore, and New York City. D.C. Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen criticized the announcement in a post on X, arguing that National Guard troops are trained for warfare and disaster response, not community policing. He added that this decision should be deeply concerning to every American.

Why is this happening now? Last week, Edward Coristine, a former prominent member of the Department of Government Efficiency, was beaten during an attempted carjacking in the Logan Circle neighborhood of northwest Washington. On Aug. 7, Metropolitan Police announced that it had charged two 15-year-olds from Maryland with unarmed carjacking. Another person of interest is still at large. A photo of Coristine surfaced in which he appeared bloodied after a fight. He was treated for his injuries at the scene and did not go to the hospital.

The photo renewed Trump’s calls to solve violent crime in the district. Trump has suggested in the past to revoke D.C.’s right to self-governance as a territory, not a state. Trump also called on the district to amend its criminal justice laws so the teenagers can be tried as adults.

What is Home Rule? The U.S. Constitution designated the District of Columbia as a 10-square-mile seat of government. It does not have representation in Congress but does have one non-voting at-large representative, Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton. In 1802, citizens of Washington successfully petitioned to establish a municipal charter, which allowed them to elect a council and create local laws. It wasn’t until 1961 that residents of Washington were granted the right to vote in elections. Until 1973, the president appointed commissioners to run the district, much like a governor or mayor. Former President Richard Nixon signed the Home Rule Act, which allowed the district to hold local elections and elect its own local government. District residents are divided into eight wards, each of which elects a council member. Congress still controls the yearly budget and reviews all local laws, and can veto, before passage.

Because home rule was an act of Congress, only Congress may formally revoke it. While the Republican majorities in both chambers have supported Trump’s agenda so far, neither is back for a formal session until September. In the Senate, a vote to repeal home rule would require votes from 7 Democratic senators.

Other options: The Home Rule Act allows the president to mobilize federal forces in Washington during emergencies. He said he considered doing so in 2020 when protests and riots broke out over the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Trump refused calls from Mayor Muriel Bowser to mobilize federal enforcement assistance on Jan. 6, 2021, when protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol. In March, Trump established the “Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful” task force. The executive order also directed the secretary of the Interior Department to clean up graffiti around the city and clear out homeless encampments.

Over the weekend, Trump deployed roughly 450 officers from more than a dozen federal agencies to support local police in patrolling Washington neighborhoods. They targeted tourist-heavy areas such as the National Mall, Union Station, and parkways. On Sunday, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that all homeless people should leave the city. He posted photos of people sleeping on sidewalks and tents from his view in the motorcade heading to his golf course.

How bad is crime in DC? While overall crime has been decreasing in D.C. for the past two years, nonviolent arrests have increased since Trump’s March executive order. On Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted a graphic to Twitter that showed that D.C. has a homicide rate of 41 per 100,000 people, higher than the capitals of other countries including Mexico, Ethiopia, and Colombia. Trump repeated the rate during the news conference, but the graphic data was from 2023, a historically high year for violent crime in Washington. In response to the rate that year, the city passed a slew of reforms to its criminal justice laws, increasing penalties and changing law enforcement procedures. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, overall crime fell by 15% in 2024 compared to 2023, and violent crime was down 35%. So far this year, crime continues to trend down, though theft rates remain high, with nearly 3,000 motor vehicle thefts. In the news conference this morning, Trump said that the data might be inaccurate, citing a recent investigation into an MPD commander accused of changing crime statistics in his district.

Youth crime remains a persistent problem for Washington. During the school year, inner city schools report high truancy rates. Last year, juveniles accounted for roughly 51% of all robbery arrests, according to a report by local news outlet WRC-TV. Police have said that roughly 60% of carjacking arrests are juveniles. As part of the 2023 reforms, the district lengthened pre-trial detention for minors rather than releasing them early. In April, Bowser launched a Juvenile Investigative Response Unit. For the third year, she also imposed a youth curfew of 11 p.m. across the city. 

What do local officials say? Washington, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a post on X that there is no crime emergency in the district and that President Trump’s actions are unnecessary. He said he is considering all options on how to protect the rights of residents. The DC Police Union said in a statement that the temporary federalization would not disrupt its collective bargaining agreement or the union’s relationship with its members. Holmes-Norton also released a statement that the move is an “egregious assault” on home rule. Roughly 100 protesters gathered around Lafayette Park near the White House to oppose Trump’s actions.