Key Takeaways:
- Unprecedented Federal Action: President Trump invoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act — for the first time in history — to place the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control.
- National Guard Deployment: Thousands of guardsmen will be sent to patrol D.C.’s streets, with Trump signaling active-duty military could join if necessary.
- Law-and-Order Agenda: Trump and his administration vowed to dismantle lenient local laws, restore safety, and clean up crime, homelessness, and blight in the nation’s capital.
President Donald Trump is taking unprecedented action to clean up the nation’s capital — and he’s cutting to the chase about why. On Monday, Trump declared a public safety emergency in Washington, D.C., announcing he would place the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and deploy the National Guard to reclaim the city from what he calls “violent gangs,” “drugged-out maniacs,” and “homeless people” overrunning the streets.
“This is liberation day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back,” Trump said from the White House, vowing that “Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR.”
Under Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act — a provision never before invoked — Trump can take charge of the local police for up to 48 hours without Congress and up to 30 days with proper notice. DEA Administrator Terry Cole will temporarily lead the force. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed thousands of guardsmen will “flow into the streets” in the coming week, with Trump even floating the use of active-duty military if necessary.
Jeanine Pirro, Trump’s top federal prosecutor in D.C., pledged to crack down on the city’s “absurd laws,” from cashless bail to lenient treatment of violent offenders.
This move fits squarely within Trump’s America First law-and-order playbook: bypass bureaucrats, cut through red tape, and restore security to the capital. As Trump put it, “If our capital is dirty, our whole country is dirty, and they don’t respect us.”
Strong words — but now, Washington is about to see if he means business.