Deploy 800 National Guard Personnel To Washington, President Trump: The Capital Is Controlled By Gangs And Criminals

President Trump announced the deployment of the National Guard to Washington DC (Twitter/@WhiteHouse)

JAKARTA - United States President Donald Trump on Monday announced the deployment of 800 National Guard troops to Washington DC, taking over for the time being local police, a move he judged was important to save the capital.

President Trump described his actions as necessary for Washington's "mirror" from a wave of alleged violations of the law. Statistics show violent crime soared in 2023, but has declined dramatically since then.

"Our capital city has been controlled by violent gangs and blood-hungry criminals," President Trump told a news conference at the White House.

This is the second time this summer that the Republican president has deployed troops to the city ruled by the Democratic Party.

Earlier, federal hearings began Monday in San Francisco to discuss whether President Trump violated US law by deploying National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June without California Governor Gavin Newsom's approval.

President Trump has hinted that other major US cities with Democratic leadership could be the next targets, including Chicago, a city that has long been hit by violent crimes, although the numbers have fallen significantly in the first half of this year.

"If necessary, we will do the same in Chicago, which is a disaster," said President Trump at the White House, adding, "Hopefully LA will pay attention."

During Trump's election campaigns, his legal platforms and order were often racially nuanced. He highlighted major Democratic cities such as Baltimore, Chicago and Washington - all cities with large black populations - when talking about rampant crime in urban areas.

Hundreds of officers and agents of more than a dozen federal agencies have been deployed across Washington in recent days. Attorney General Pam Bondi will oversee the police, President Trump said.

Meanwhile, the US Army said National Guard troops would carry out a number of tasks, including "administration, logistics, and physical presence to support law enforcement." Between 100 and 200 troops will support law enforcement at a certain time.

Separately, Washington Mayor of the Democratic Party Muriel Bowser has denied President Trump's claims of uncontrolled violence, recording violent crimes hit their lowest level in more than three decades last year.

Violence crimes, including murder, spiked in 2023, making Washington one of the deadliest cities in the country. However, violent crimes fell 35 percent by 2024, according to federal data, and have fallen again by 26 percent in the first seven months of 2025, according to city police.

Mayor Bowser delivered a diplomatic tone at a press conference, saying he and other members of his government would cooperate with the federal government, although he again rejected President Trump's claims about widespread crimes.

Although the Mayor of Bowser said the law appeared to give the president broad power to take temporary control of the police, the city attorney general, Brian Schwab, previously called President Trump's actions "violating the law" and said his office was "considering all our options."

Over the past week, Trump has intensified his message, hinting he might try to revoke the city's local autonomy and implement a full takeover by the federal government.

It is known that the District of Columbia operates under the Home Rule Act, which gives Congress the highest authority, but allows residents to elect mayors and city councils.

President Trump on Monday implemented part of the law that allowed the president to take over the police for 30 days when an "emergency" occurred. President Trump said he declared a "public security emergency" in the city.

Trump's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is cutting security funds for the National Capital Region, an area covering Washington DC and parts of Maryland and Virginia. The region will receive 20 million US dollars less this year from federal urban security funds, which means a 44 percent cut year-on-year.

The US president has broad authority over 2,700 members of the DC National Guard, unlike in states where governors usually hold the authority to activate troops.

National Guard troops have been sent to Washington many times, including in response to the January 6, 2021 attacks on the US Capitol Building by Trump supporters, and during 2020 protests over police brutality.