President Trump is deploying the National Guard to Washington DC

President Trump said he would deploy National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and place the city’s police department under federal control, launching an unprecedented effort to take charge of the nation’s capital.

Mr Trump, flanked by his attorney general, his defense secretary and the FBI director, said he was formally declaring a public safety emergency and his administration would be removing homeless encampments.

“We’re going to take our capital back,” Trump declared, adding he would also be “getting rid of the slums.” For Trump, the effort to take over public safety in Washington reflects an escalation of his aggressive approach to law enforcement.

The District of Columbia’s status as a congressionally established federal district gives him a unique opportunity to push his tough-on-crime agenda. He will be deploying 800 members of the National Guard across the city.

Attorney General Pam Bondi will be taking over responsibility for Washington’s metro police department, Trump said, as he also railed against potholes and graffiti in the city and called them “embarrassing.”

Trump invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act in an executive order to declare a “crime emergency” so that his administration could take over the city’s police force. He signed a directive for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deploy the National Guard.

The Home Rule Act gives Trump the power to use the D.C. police force for “federal purposes” if he determines that there are “special conditions of an emergency nature.”The President can use the D.C. police for up to 48 hours, or for up to 30 days if he sends a special message to the leaders of certain congressional committees.