Written by Lindsay Whitehurst
WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite city officials pointing to data indicating a decline in violence, President Donald Trump took historic steps Monday to federalize Washington, D.C., claiming it is necessary to combat crime.
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Under laws and constitutional powers that grant the federal government greater control over the nation’s capital than other cities, he assumed leadership of the police force and sent out the National Guard. Not until 1973, when Republican President Richard Nixon signed the Home Rule Act, did its historically Black majority elect its own mayor and city council.
Despite the fact that no president has ever used the police powers, the measure nevertheless gave the president and Congress considerable authority.
According to the Constitution, Congress, not any state, will have jurisdiction over the District of Columbia, which would be established as the federal seat of government.
The president can still summon the National Guard in Washington, even though the Home Rule Act gave local governments more authority. Members of his administration were later criticized for operating a helicopter too low over a crowd during the 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations. When Trump’s followers overran the Capitol on January 6, 2021, during his first term, the Guard was called upon once more.
Trump’s second-term actions in Washington coincide with the ongoing legal dispute over his deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles, another city with a Democratic majority, in defiance of Governor Gavin Newsom’s protests.
Although it is unclear what jurisdiction he has there, an appeals court has so far declined to step in. On Monday, a lower-court judge began a trial to decide whether the deployment was illegal under another federal law.
In an emergency, the president may assume command of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington for 48 hours, with the possibility of a 30-day extension, under Section 740 of the Home Rule Act. According to Monica Hopkins, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, no president has ever done this.
Trump brought up many recent high-profile events, such as the assault of a DOGE staffer during an attempted carjacking and the death of a 21-year-old congressional intern.
The president declared, “We are going to retake our Capitol on this day of liberation in D.C.”
Muriel Bowser, the Democratic mayor of D.C., described the takeover as unprecedented. She claimed that following an increase in 2023, violent crime in Washington had now dropped to a 30-year low. For instance, carjackings have decreased this year after declining by over 50% in 2024. However, juveniles make up more than half of those detained, and the Trump administration is divided on the severity of those penalties.
The duration of the takeover and its precise implications were not immediately apparent. It might also be contested in court.
To increase federal authority in the district, Congress would need to overturn the Home Rule Act, although it still has authority over matters like the budget and legislation made by the city council.
A handful of Republican members have advocated for it, but most Democrats would likely oppose such a change, making it challenging to implement.
The legislation only applies to D.C. and has no bearing on other American municipalities that are known to have their own home rule authority over their state governments.
According to Hopkins, Trump’s actions in Washington may portend similar strategies in other cities. “That should worry everyone, not just in Washington,” she said.
