President Donald Trump mentioned on Wednesday that he’ll search extra everlasting federal management of the Washington, D.C., police drive as he continues his efforts to ramp-up crime enforcement within the nation’s capital.
Earlier this week, Trump introduced his plans to deploy Nationwide Guard troops within the nation’s capital, declaring a public security emergency in an effort to put the Washington police division beneath federal management and station the Nationwide Guard on the town’s streets. Trump’s present management of the D.C. police drive expires in 30 days, after which Congress must weigh in.
Requested Wednesday whether or not he’d work with Congress to increase the emergency authorization permitting him to briefly seize management of native legislation enforcement, Trump mentioned he’ll ask Congress for a “long-term” extension of federal authority over the Washington police drive.
President Donald Trump takes a query from the press throughout a go to to the Kennedy Heart in Washington, August 13, 2025.
Mandel Ngan/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
“We will be asking for extensions on that — long-term extensions, as a result of you’ll be able to’t have 30 days,” Trump mentioned at an occasion on the Kennedy Heart.
Trump indicated at one level that he’d ask Congress for extra funds to struggle crime and to make repairs to Washington’s streets and parks.
“We will make Washington lovely. We will redo roads. We will redo the medians. The pavers and the medians are all all through the town. We will take all of the graffiti off. We will should take away the tents. And the individuals which can be dwelling in our parks, we will be redoing the parks, the grasses and all. We will be going to Congress for a comparatively small amount of cash. And [Senate Budget Committee chair and GOP Sen.] Lindsey [Graham] and the Republicans are going to be approving it,” Trump mentioned.
Trump has lengthy threatened to take management of Washington, saying he needs to crack down on violent crime within the District though police statistics present that previously two years, violent crime has gone down.
“Combating crime is an effective factor. We have now to clarify we will struggle crime — that is a very good factor,” Trump mentioned Wednesday. “Already they’re saying, ‘He is a dictator,’ he mentioned, referring to Democrats. “The place goes to hell. We have got to cease it. So, as an alternative of claiming, ‘He is a dictator,’ they need to say, ‘We will be part of him and make Washington protected.'”
A convoy of troopers assigned to the 273rd Navy Police Firm, Washington, D.C. Nationwide Guard, arrive on the Nationwide Mall to conduct patrol operations, August 12, 2025.
Employees Sgt. Deonte Rowell/AU.S. Military
“We will be basically crime-free. That is going to be a beacon, and it’ll additionally serve for instance of what could be accomplished,” Trump mentioned.
U.S. Military Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard II, the Adjutant Normal of the District of Columbia Military Nationwide Guard, visits with troopers assigned to the 273rd Navy Police Firm, throughout patrol operations on the Nationwide Mall, August 12, 2025.
Employees Sgt. Deonte Rowell/U.S. Military
Troopers assigned to the 273rd Navy Police Firm, Washington, D.C. Nationwide Guard, patrol the Nationwide Mall, in Washington, August 12, 2025.
Sgt. Joseph Spraktes/U.S. Military
A member of the DC Nationwide Guard joins his unit close to the Washington Monument on August 12, 2025 in Washington.
Win McNamee/Getty Pictures
Nationwide Guard troops started deploying in bigger numbers alongside the Nationwide Mall in a single day, in response to an individual aware of the plan.
In response to an individual aware of the trouble, the most recent plan requires sending the activated Military troopers to spots across the Nationwide Mall in the midst of the evening so they are going to be seen to D.C. residents by Friday morning.
Officers mentioned the Trump administration continues to be within the strategy of establishing a joint activity drive, which shall be led by Military Col. Larry Doane. Whereas the duty drive is predicted to incorporate 800 activated troopers, D.C. residents will not see that many on the streets.
The troops will work in shifts of 100 to 200 troops at a time, and a few of them shall be assigned to administrative or logistical roles in help of native legislation enforcement, officers informed ABC Information.
ABC Information producers didn’t see any Nationwide Guard or elevated legislation enforcement presence round Washington Wednesday afternoon — together with across the Nationwide Mall, D.C. Armory or in Logan Circle the place a person was gunned down and killed earlier this week.
A White Home official informed ABC Information that, starting Wednesday evening, officers anticipated a “considerably increased Nationwide Guard presence to be on the bottom all through Washington, D.C.” The White Home official added that starting Wednesday evening, the deployment will transition to round the clock, 24/7 operations. These operations had been beforehand targeted on night and in a single day hours.
On Tuesday evening, greater than 1,450 federal legislation enforcement officers and Nationwide Guard members patrolled Washington, in response to a White Home official. Regulation enforcement groups made 43 arrests on Tuesday evening — practically twice the quantity made Monday evening, the official mentioned.
These legislation enforcement groups included 750 D.C. Metropolitan Police Division officers who had been “uniformed, marked as patrol and instantly assigned as anti-crime officers,” the White Home official mentioned. That was along with the federal legislation enforcement who had been beforehand mobilized within the space. The White Home official mentioned that there have been about 30 Nationwide Guard troops on the bottom final evening.
The legislation enforcement groups had been “deployed all through all seven districts in D.C. to advertise public security and arrest violent offenders,” the White Home official mentioned.
After Trump’s announcement Monday, roughly 850 officers and brokers fanned out over D.C. proper after Trump declared against the law emergency within the capital, making 23 arrests, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Nationwide Guard troops had been noticed on the Nationwide Mall, with many stationed across the base of the Washington Monument. The troops left Wednesday morning.
It was not instantly clear why the presence of U.S. troops alongside the Nationwide Mall was wanted, aside from to place Trump’s orders on show. The world, marked by museums, monuments and lengthy stretches of grass, is called a comparatively protected a part of the town that pulls largely vacationers and college teams.
ABC Information’ John Parkinson contributed to this report.
Editor’s word: This story has been up to date to replicate that Nationwide Guard didn’t make any arrests of people in Washington.
