WASHINGTON () Promising a sweeping crackdown on crime and homelessness in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump is set to outline a proposal Monday that could include deploying the National Guard.
The announcement follows several days of heightened federal law enforcement patrols in the city, despite pushback from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who called the increased presence unnecessary.
Trump has argued he plans to make the district “safer and more beautiful than it ever was before.“
Troops ready if called upon: National Guard spokesperson
Overnight, a U.S. official told the military was preparing for the possibility of hundreds of National Guard troops being deployed on D.C. streets.
A D.C. National Guard spokesperson said no orders had been issued.
“We remain committed to providing trained and ready forces capable of providing support when called upon,” the spokesperson said.
On Sunday, Trump wrote on social media that “before the tents, squalor, filth, and Crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the World.” He compared the effort to his approach at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump ordered more federal law enforcement to patrol the district last week. By Saturday night, 450 officers were patrolling popular tourist spots and made multiple arrests, including several for carrying firearms without a license.
Violent crime down 26% from last year: DC police
Metropolitan Police Department data shows violent crime is down 26% compared to the same time last year.
Bowser pushed back against Trump’s focus on crime in the district and said the decline in crime is due to the community’s cooperation.
“We had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023, this is 2025,” she said Sunday on MSNBC. “We’ve done that by working with the community, working with the police, working with our prosecutors, and in fact working with the federal government.”
Bowser argued the focus should be on hiring more prosecutors and judges and improving the city jail, rather than ramping up federal enforcement.
