WASHINGTON — President Trump promised Sunday to crack down hard on Washington, DC’s plights, forcing the homeless out of the nation’s capital and quickly jailing criminals who roam the streets
“I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before,” Trump vowed on Truth Social, saying: “We want our Capital BACK.”
“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.”
“The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong. It’s all going to happen very fast, just like the Border,” he added.
“This will be easier — Be prepared! There will be no ‘MR. NICE GUY.’”
Trump teased more specifics to come in a news conference Monday.
The president recently erupted with rage at the spate of crime roiling Washington, DC, after former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine, also known as “Big Balls,” was bludgeoned around 3 a.m. last Sunday.
Coristine, 19, who has since moved to the Social Security Administration, was assaulted by about 10 juveniles after attempting to intervene in an apparent carjacking, according to a police report.
At least two of his alleged attackers were later arrested, and there is a $10,000 award for information that leads to the apprehension of the others.
Trump shared a picture of Coristine bloodied from the attack near DuPont Circle, roughly a mile away from the White House.
Last Thursday, the president announced plans to deploy federal law enforcement across DC to tamp down on crime.
Unlike other cities in the US, DC is governed by the 1973 Home Rule Act, which delegates certain powers to its mayor and the Council of the District of Columbia. Congress has to review any laws the council passed and can overrule them, though it rarely does.
Some Republicans have floated a federal takeover of DC to address crime within the city.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), who is a staunch advocate of autonomy for the nation’s capital, said the city will work cooperatively with federal law enforcement.
“I suspect that his announcement is that he is surging federal law enforcement and he may talk about even larger numbers or longer periods of time,” she told MSNBC’s “The Weekend.” “He’s interested in being in neighborhoods, fighting crime in neighborhoods.”
“We are not experiencing a crime spike.”
Despite her differences with Trump, Bowser has sought to refrain from alienating him. She met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last year and privately expressed that she shares his goal of making DC safer and cleaner.
Violent crime in DC is down 26% from last year, homicides are down 12%, and overall crime is down 7%, according to data from the DC Metropolitan Police Department. Violent crime in 2024 had fallen 35% from 2023.
Still, DC has one of the highest homicide rates in the country, notching fourth place in 2023, according to USA Facts.
“It is our capital city. It is more violent than Baghdad. It is more violent than parts of Ethiopia, than parts of many of the most dangerous places in the world,” Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, told reporters last week.
The data on how DC stacks up against Baghdad is a bit murky.
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