Washington, D.C., is bracing for an unprecedented law-and-order push from President Donald Trump, who signaled he may invoke federal authority to seize control of the capital if crime and homelessness aren’t rapidly brought under control.
Federal officials confirmed that hundreds of National Guard troops are standing by for rapid deployment, while 120 FBI agents have already been assigned to patrol D.C. streets alongside local police and other federal officers.
“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump declared on Truth Social. “We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong.”
He warned residents to “be prepared,” adding there would be no “MR. NICE GUY” as he vowed to “take our Capital BACK.”
Donald J. Trump Truth Social 08.10.25 11:03 AM EST pic.twitter.com/Zokr1m1AKR
— Fan Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) August 10, 2025
Trump compared his strategy for D.C. to his administration’s hardline approach to border security, promising to act with the same speed and intensity.
“I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before,” he said, pledging an immediate cleanup of homeless encampments and a rapid crackdown on violent offenders.
“It’s all going to happen very fast, just like the Border,” he remarked.
Two U.S. officials told Reuters that military preparations for the Guard’s activation are complete, awaiting Trump’s final order. The plan reportedly calls for hundreds of troops to flood the city’s streets.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump is preparing to deploy over 1,000 members of the National Guard to take back the streets of Washington, DC
DO IT, PRESIDENT TRUMP!
LAW AND ORDER must be restored to our nation’s capital! pic.twitter.com/IrLsAiWkdo
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 11, 2025
This effort comes on the heels of an earlier Trump directive sending federal officers from multiple agencies to D.C. for a week-long crime suppression mission.
The deployment included personnel from the U.S. Park Police, FBI, DEA, ATF, and units of ICE.
The increased federal presence follows a violent assault on Edward Coristine, a prominent member of the DOGE group known as “Big Balls,” in the capital.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! A group of 100 “youths” took over the park near the DC Capitol, firing SH0Ts, launching fireworks, riding dirt bikes.
The FBI and DHS have responded.
Enough is enough. DC is a failed city.
President Trump will now federalize it.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 10, 2025
The attack became a flashpoint for Trump, who threatened “federal control” of D.C. unless city leaders addressed the crime problem.
He also called for revising local laws to allow certain juvenile offenders to be prosecuted as adults.
Trump has repeatedly pushed the idea of the federal government taking direct control of Washington, portraying it as a way to restore “law and order” in a city he says has been plagued by weak leadership and rising violence.
The FBI confirmed its Washington Field Office is actively participating in the bolstered federal law enforcement presence.
“Agents… continue to participate in the increased federal law enforcement presence in D.C., which includes assisting our law enforcement partners,” the bureau said in a statement Sunday morning.
According to The Washington Post, approximately 120 FBI agents are now working overnight shifts to help local police combat a surge in carjackings and violent assaults.
A White House official told NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer that about 450 federal officers in total are being deployed to high-traffic and high-crime areas across the city.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t mince words about the administration’s view of the situation.
“Everyone who lives in our Nation’s capital knows homelessness and crime are plaguing this city,” she said in a statement obtained by Meyer.
She credited Trump with finally “taking action to clean it up” and predicted that “under President Trump’s leadership, DC will be safe and beautiful again for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from around the world.”
D.C.’s Democratic mayor, Muriel Bowser, disputed the president’s depiction of the city.
Speaking on MSNBC’s “The Weekend,” she argued that the capital is not currently seeing a crime wave.
While acknowledging a sharp rise in 2023, Bowser said those numbers have since been brought down.
“We have spent over the last two years driving down violent crime in this city, driving it down to a 30-year low,” Bowser said.
She noted that Trump is “very aware” of these efforts, referencing a recent Oval Office meeting between the two in which they discussed the city’s collaboration with federal law enforcement.
