Trump declares Federal control over Washington DC crime crisis

English , International - بین الاقوامی , Snippets , / Tuesday, August 12th, 2025

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Rki.news
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 – U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday what he called a “historic action” to place Washington DC under federal control, citing a need to “rescue” the nation’s capital from crime, disorder, and decay.
“This is liberation day in DC, and we’re going to take our capital back,” Trump said at a news conference flanked by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who will lead the city’s police force during the period of federal oversight.
He claimed the capital had been “taken over by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals” as well as “drugged out maniacs and homeless people.”
Metropolitan Police Department data paints a mixed picture. Homicides dropped 32% between 2023 and 2024, reaching their lowest level since 2019, and have fallen another 12% so far this year.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, acknowledged a “terrible” nationwide spike in crime in 2023 but rejected the notion of a current crimewave. “We are not experiencing a crime spike,” she told MSNBC, adding that the president is “very aware of our efforts.”
Bowser also dismissed White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller’s comparison of Washington to Baghdad as “hyperbolic and false.”
The move to federal control marks a rare intervention in the governance of the U.S. capital and is likely to trigger legal and political disputes over local autonomy.