President Donald Trump said his push to reduce crime in the nation’s capital will include moving out homeless people who camp along the city streets.

Trump is planning a Monday news conference in which he promises to lay out his ideas for ending violent crime in the nation’s capital, a concept that moved to the forefront of his agenda after the attempted carjacking of a former aide.

Trump said in a social media post Sunday that “The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” adding “we will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.” Trump also suggested he would incarcerate those who have committed crimes.

The president has already signed an executive order that makes it easier for states and cities to remove outdoor encampments on federal lands and get people into mental health or addiction treatment, a shift in approach from existing policies that have worked to find housing for homeless people first and then seek treatment opportunities for them.

The effort comes amid the Trump administration’s increased show of federal law enforcement around Washington, D.C. A day after a former member of his so-called Department of Government Efficiency was injured during an attempted carjacking in DC, he called for a federal takeover of the District, which has been seeking to end all federal control of the city for decades.

Violent crime has been dropping in the District for two years, according to local police data. As of Jan. 3, violent crime in DC in 2024 was at a 30-year low, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Trump’s powers to “take over” the capital city are limited.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, in an interview that aired Sunday on MSNBC’s "The Weekend," said it was the president’s prerogative to call out the D.C. National Guard, which he controls. Trump used the California National Guard, which is controlled by that state’s governor, to help quell unrest over immigration raids in Los Angeles in June.

But “I’m concerned about them not being used efficiently,” said Bowser, who highlighted the drop in violent crime. “And I just think that’s not the most efficient use of our guard.”

She noted that 450 federal law enforcement officers spread out across DC on Saturday night and encountered no violent crime, but seized several handguns and made arrests for traffic violations.

Congress established partial home rule for the District of Columbia in 1973, which allows residents to elect their own mayor, who appoints the police chief. Residents also elect a District council that can pass local laws. But those laws can be overturned by Congress, which approves the city’s budget.

Trump can’t override the home rule law without Congress, but he can assign federal agents to conduct law enforcement operations inside the city, acting independently of the Metropolitan Police Department. He has also said that he is considering deploying the National Guard in the city.

The president has often, without evidence, cast cities around the country as crime-ridden, and has increased those complaints about D.C. since the former staffer was attacked.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform earlier this week that he wants to “federalize” the city if local officials don’t do more to address crime. The president issued an executive order this year that created a panel to coordinate efforts to improve safety and address graffiti and vandalism in the city.

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(With assistance from Chris Strohm.)

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