‘Overtaken by bloodthirsty criminals’: Trump invokes Home Rule Act, deploys National Guard troops in Washington DC
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Overtaken by bloodthirsty criminals’: Trump invokes Home Rule Act, deploys National Guard troops in Washington DC")
US President Donald Trump, alongside US Attorney General Pam Bondi (R), holds up a chart as he speaks during a news conference to discuss crime in Washington, DC, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on August 11, 2025. Photograph: (AFP)
Trump added that he is deploying the National Guard to help “reestablish law and order”.
US President Donald Trump on Monday (Aug 11) announced “historic action” to “take the capital back”, invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which places the DC Metropolitan police Department under direct federal control. He added that he is deploying the National Guard to help “reestablish law and order”.
The US president said that the administration will deploy 800 National Guardsmen to support local law enforcement. He added that they will add “much more if necessary”.
“This is Liberation Day in DC, and we’re going to take our capital back,” Trump said during a press conference at the White House.
Trump said that Attorney General Pam Bondi will now oversee the Metropolitan Police Department.
Hour ahead of his press conference, Trump said on his Truth social that DC “will be LIBERATED today”.
“Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today! Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN! The days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people, are OVER! I quickly fixed the Border (ZERO ILLEGALS in last 3 months!), D.C. is next!!! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT,” he said.
Trump highlights alarming crime rate in DC
Showing several charts, Trump revealed that the crime rate in DC is worse than a number of cities across the world, including Baghdad, Brasília, Panama City, and Bogotá.
“Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs, and homeless people, and we’re not going to let it happen any more.”
Trump also declared a “public safety emergency” in the capital despite the violent crime rate hitting its lowest in 30 years in 2024, according to the Justice Department.
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He further vowed to “get rid of the slums” in the nation’s capital, saying, “We have slums here. We’re getting rid of them. I know it’s not politically correct. You’ll say, ‘oh, so terrible’”.
Trump also vowed to get rid of homeless people across the city. “We’re getting rid of the people from underpasses and public spaces from all over the city,” he said. “We’re going to help them as much as you can help, but they’ll not be allowed to turn our capital into a wasteland.”
