Donald Trump announces drastic plan to take country’s capital back claiming it’s worse than the ‘worst places on Earth’
On Monday, President Donald Trump spoke to reporters at the White House and announced a sweeping plan to deal with crime and homelessness in Washington, D.C. He said he believes the nation’s capital is in a worse condition than some of the most troubled places in the world, and he wants to “take it back.”
Trump said that even though official crime statistics show the city’s crime rate is at a 30-year low, he sees the situation differently and wants major changes. He posted on Truth Social that he plans to make Washington “safer and more beautiful than it ever was” by removing homeless people who live in tents and placing criminals in jail. He promised that the homeless would be given somewhere to live, but far from the center of the city.
In the same announcement, Trump declared a “public safety emergency” and announced a federal takeover of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department—one of the most extreme measures a president can take. He also said the National Guard would be sent into the city to help fight crime, and warned that the military could be brought in if necessary.
Trump criticized D.C.’s local government, saying that its leadership has failed. He blamed the city’s “radical left” council for adopting a no-cash-bail policy, which he says allows dangerous offenders to be released almost immediately after arrest. He argued that this policy has led to similar problems in cities like New York and Chicago.
The plan will involve at least 500 federal law enforcement officers, creating uncertainty over how federal, state, and local agencies will work together. This move is part of Trump’s broader approach to law enforcement, following earlier efforts to crack down on illegal immigration at the U.S. border.
