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As for how, exactly, he intends to do this, NBC News reported, “Trump announced this morning that he will federalize the Washington, D.C., police and deploy National Guard troops in an effort to fight crime.”

Trump announces he's placing the DC police department "under direct federal control" and deploying the National Guard in the city

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-08-11T14:42:53.334Z

As far as the White House is concerned, this is apparently the first in a series of related steps. After referencing New York City, Baltimore and Oakland by name, the president told the White House press corps in reference to his new gambit, “This will go further. We’ll starting very strongly with D.C.”

Crime rates in New York City, Baltimore and Oakland have already sharply improved, and while Trump has repeatedly insisted that crime in nation’s capital is “out of control,” in reality, crime in D.C. has dropped..

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As for the latest announcement, Trump also took the opportunity to share some related thoughts about how his newly deployed forces would treat criminal criminal suspects.

"You knock the hell out of them. It's the only language they understand ... you spit and we hit. And they get hit real hard ... now they are allowed to do whatever they want" -- Trump on the police response to crime in DC

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-08-11T14:50:56.398Z

As for whether any of this is legal, The Washington Post reported, "Under the Home Rule Act, President Donald Trump can assume control of D.C. police for 48 hours if he 'determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist which require the use of the Metropolitan Police force for Federal purposes.' The takeover may be extended with approval of the members of Congress who oversee D.C. affairs. Any request of over 30 days must be passed into law."

The presidential announcement, in other words, was the first step, not the last, and the legal and political disputes that will soon follow are likely to be dramatic. Watch this space.