Trump floats deploying National Guard troops to Washington DC to help with crime

President Donald Trump on Wednesday floated the idea of sending the National Guard to Washington, D.C., as part of his potential plan to take over the federal city to crack down on crimes committed by minors.

Trump threatened to end D.C. home rule on Tuesday if the city did not step up when it comes to prosecuting minors who commit serious crimes. Trump claimed the city's lenient attitudes toward underaged criminals had emboldened them.

The threats come after former 19-year-old Department of Government Efficiency staffer Edward Coristine was assaulted by an alleged group of juveniles over the weekend who were apparently trying to carjack a vehicle in Northwest D.C.

Trump was asked whether he would consider taking over Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department as a means to boost law enforcement activity in the capital, to which the president responded he was considering it, NBC News reported.

“We’re considering it. Yeah, because the crime is — is ridiculous,” Trump told reporters. “We have a capital that’s very unsafe, you know, we just almost lost a young man. Beautiful, handsome guy that got the hell knocked out of him the night before last. 

"What a shame, rate of crime, the rate of muggings, killings and everything else," he continued. "We’re not going to let it, and that includes bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly, too."

It could be difficult to orchestrate a full federal takeover of the city, because both chambers of Congress would need to repeal the 1973 Home Rule Act. But if Trump does send in the National Guard, it would not be the first time he has done so.

Trump activated the National Guard in Washington, D.C. during his first term, after riots broke out in the city over the death of George Floyd in the summer of 2020. 

Washington, D.C. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has declined to comment on Trump's latest comment, but objected to activating the National Guard in 2020.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.