President Donald Trump Monday promised a dramatic crackdown on crime and homelessness in Washington, D.C., announcing he will take control of the city’s municipal police force and order hundreds of National Guard troops onto the streets of the nation’s capital.

Vowing to “liberate” Washington, Trump said he would put an end to “the days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people.”

“It’s not getting better, it’s getting worse,” Trump said at a White House press conference flanked by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “We’re going to do things about it like you wouldn’t believe.”

“It’s a situation of complete and total lawlessness,” Trump added.

Trump has also threatened to oust homeless people from the streets of Washington, although it’s not clear if that’s legal or to where he might send them.

The move also comes as Trump seeks to flex his muscle over larger swaths of American society in ways that raise new questions about how the federal government will interact with ordinary citizens as well as state and local governments.

Trump last week directed federal law enforcement agencies to increase their presence in Washington for a week, with the option “to extend as needed.”

On Friday night, federal agencies including the Secret Service, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service assigned more than 120 officers and agents to patrol the streets of Washington.

Trump said he would order up to 1,000 National Guard troops into the streets of Washington, D.C.

Mayor Muriel Bowser questioned the effectiveness of using the Guard to enforce city laws and said the federal government could be far more helpful by funding more prosecutors or filling vacancies on the D.C. Superior Court.

Bowser, who has sought to avoid conflict with the White House, admits Trump has the legal right to deploy the National Guard. The president also has the legal right to exert more control over the city’s police, but only if certain conditions are met.

Trump brushed aside those legal niceties, saying Bondi would immediately take over leadership of the Metropolitan Police Department.

“Crime is ending in D.C and it’s ending now,” Bondi declared Monday. “No more.”

Trump’s claims about out-of-control crime in D.C. are not backed up by facts.

Police statistics show homicides, robberies and burglaries are down this year when compared with this time in 2024. Overall, violent crime is down 26% compared with this time a year ago.

Trump has occasionally complained about crime and other issues in Washington, D.C. during his first four-year term, while out of office and since returning to the White House in January.

His latest focus on its woes were apparently triggered by an attempted carjacking attack on Edward Coristine, a high-profile figure in the Department of Government Efficiency who goes by the moniker “Big Balls.” Police arrested two 15-year-olds in the Aug. 3 attack and said they were searching for several other suspects.

Trump has repeatedly suggested federal authorities could take over administering D.C. But that would require Congress repealing the Home Rule Act of 1973, which would likely face major political resistance.

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