With the possibility of the federal government stepping in, Washington D.C. anticipates a decision from the White House

WASHINGTON – In the early hours around 2 a.m., lively crowds pouring out of clubs and bars took over the sidewalks of Washington’s U Street, many in search of a post-party snack like pizza or falafel. The presence of city police cruisers was noticeable but typical as they kept an eye on the bustling scene. Similar situations were seen at other popular late-night locations across the area.

However, in these first hours of Friday, there was no sign of the anticipated security clampdown by a mix of federal law enforcement officials in uniform. This was a new measure that President Donald Trump had announced on Thursday, set to begin at midnight, marking another effort by the administration to exert authority over the nation’s capital.

The expected large-scale law enforcement initiative that Trump had spoken of to take command of the streets in D.C. seemed to be delayed. A two-hour drive through the city, beginning at about 1 a.m. on Friday, showed no extraordinary law enforcement activity beyond the presence of the Metropolitan Police Department, the local city police.

This situation might still evolve in the days ahead as Trump implements his longstanding strategy to “take over” a city he has often criticized as unsafe and poorly managed. According to his announcement on Thursday, the heightened security measures were planned to last for seven days, with the possibility of extension if necessary.

During Friday night’s operations, a White House official mentioned that Thursday night saw arrests related to two stolen guns, suspected fentanyl, and marijuana possession. The official, speaking under conditions of anonymity due to a lack of authorization to address the press publicly, stated that more than 120 officers from federal bodies like the Secret Service, the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals Service would be active on Friday night, thereby increasing the federal presence.

“This marks the beginning of a crackdown on the violent crime that has afflicted the streets of Washington, D.C.,” noted White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, who publicly faced off against Trump in 2020 when he called in a massive federal law enforcement response to disperse crowds of protesters, has not said a public word since Trump’s declaration. The MPD has gone similarly silent.

A crackdown came after an assault

The catalyst for this latest round of D.C. takeover drama was the assault last weekend on a high-profile member of the Department of Government Efficiency by a group of teenagers in an attempted carjacking. The victim, Edward Coristine, nicknamed “Big Balls,” was among the most visible figures of Trump’s DOGE, which was tasked with slashing federal bureaucracy.

Police arrested two 15-year-olds and say they’re still seeking other members of the group. Trump quickly renewed his calls for the federal government to seize control.

“If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. He later doubled down on those comments, telling reporters he was considering everything from repealing Washington’s limited “home rule” autonomy to “bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly.”

The threats come at a time when Bowser’s government can legitimately claim to have reduced the number of homicides and carjackings, both of which spiked in 2023. The number of carjackings overall dropped significantly the following year in 2024, from 957 to just under 500, and is on track to decline again this year, with less than 200 recorded so far more than halfway through the year.

The portion of juveniles arrested for carjacking, though, has remained above 50%, and Bowser’s government has taken steps to reign in a new phenomenon of rowdy teenagers causing disarray and disturbances in public spaces. Emergency legislation passed by the D.C. Council earlier this summer imposed tighter youth curfew restrictions and empowered Police Chief Pamela Smith to declare temporary juvenile curfew zones for four days at a time. In those areas, a gathering of nine or more kids under the age of 18 is unlawful after 8 p.m.

This lies within presidential authority

Trump is completely within his powers in deploying federal law enforcement assets on D.C. streets. He could also deploy the National Guard, although they are not one of the dozen participating agencies listed in his declaration. The first Trump administration called in the National Guard during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and again on Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters overran the Capitol Building.

But further steps, including taking over the police department, would require a declaration of emergency — something legal experts believe would most likely be challenged in court. That approach would fit the general pattern of Trump’s second term in office; he has declared repeated states of emergency on issues ranging from border protection to economic tariffs and, in many cases, moved forward while the courts sorted them out.

These declarations have enabled his administration to govern via executive order. On Wednesday, Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to declare new sanctions on Russia.

Imposing a full federal takeover of Washington would require a congressional repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973. It’s a step that Trump said lawyers are examining, but it could face pushback.

That law was specific to Washington, not other communities in the United States that have their own home rule powers but generally retain representation in their state legislatures, said Monica Hopkins, executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia.

Signed into law by President Richard Nixon, the measure allowed D.C. residents to elect their own mayor, council and local commissioners. The district had been previously run by federally appointed commissioners and members of Congress, some of whom balked at having to deal with potholes and other details of running a city of 700,000 residents.

So far, Trump’s longstanding criticisms of Washington can be felt most directly in the actions of the National Park Service, which controls wide swaths of land throughout the capital. In Trump’s second administration, the NPS has aggressively stepped up its clearing of homeless encampments on Park Service land and recently carried out a series of arrests of people smoking marijuana in public parks.

Earlier this week, the NPS announced that a statue of a Confederate military leader that was toppled by protesters in 2020 would be restored and replaced in line with an Executive Order.

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Associated Press reporters Mike Pesoli, Michael Kunzelman and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.