Understanding Trump’s Federal Takeover Of D.C. As Crime Crackdown Intensifies

President Donald Trump is intensifying his efforts to address crime in Washington, D.C., and is once again threatening a federal takeover of the city’s governance. As part of this push, he has called for the removal of homeless individuals from public areas and is floating the possibility of dismantling DC’s Home Rule, which allows for limited self-governance by local officials. These actions come as the president paints a dire picture of the city’s public safety situation, despite preliminary year-to-date crime data from DC Police showing that overall crime in 2025 is actually down compared to the same period last year, according to CNN.

Last week, Trump ordered a seven-day surge of federal law enforcement in the capital, citing several high-profile incidents, including the assault of Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency. Coristine was attacked in an attempted carjacking on Aug. 3, according to reports.

“I have to say that somebody from DOGE was very badly hurt … A young man who was beat up by a bunch of thugs in DC, and either they’re gonna straighten their act out in the terms of government and in terms of protection or we’re gonna have to federalize and run it the way it’s supposed to be run,” the President told the media following the incident, according to CNN. 

 The president used the incident to justify the increased federal presence and floated the idea of federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department.

FBI agents were deployed across DC over the weekend.

According to a White House official, up to 450 federal officers were deployed to DC over the weekend, including as many as 130 FBI agents. In an unusual move, agents patrolled the streets alongside DC police, primarily to run license plates in search of stolen vehicles and outstanding warrants, sources told CNN. Typically, FBI agents do not conduct this kind of street-level policing, marking a significant shift in federal involvement in local law enforcement.  FBI agents were reassigned from other duties to take part in the massive patrol effort, NPR reported.

Trump has also indicated his administration is reviewing the possibility of overturning DC’s Home Rule, the law that grants the District limited autonomy, including the authority of its mayor and city council. Under existing law, the president can assume control of the Metropolitan Police Department for up to 48 hours if he determines that emergency conditions require the force’s use for federal purposes.

“We have to run DC. This has to be the best-run place in the country, not the worst-run place in the country,” Trump said Wednesday.

He wants to remove unhoused people from DC.

On Aug. 10, the 79-year-old Republican also vowed to “move out” DC’s unhoused population, citing that it would help with safety efforts in the city. Some members of the unhoused community are in fear of how Trump’s plan will play out.  

“I’m definitely afraid that he could do whatever he wants to do, but I can’t live my life in fear,” 38-year-old Greg Evans, who lives in a unhoused encampment near the Lincoln Memorial, told NPR on Aug. 11.

George Morgan, 65, argued that the president should redirect federal funds to build housing for the unhoused population in DC instead of displacing them.

“As much as God has blessed America, and we’re constantly begging God to bless America, truth be told, we’re in a shamble and in hot water in terms of taking care of our own,” Morgan added. 

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