Trump to hold presser after ordering homeless to leave Washington DC as federal takeover threat looms

President Donald Trump has announced he will be holding a press conference at 10am ET (3pm GMT) on Monday morning to address what he says is the “out of control” state of violent crime in Washington, DC. But surprisingly, the claim made by the President is not supported by the official figures.

The nation’s capital city “has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote on Truth Social over the weekend, pledging: “It will soon be one of the safest!!!”

Trump in a post said that the news conference at 10am on Monday, “will not only involve ending the Crime, Murder, and Death in our Nation’s Capital, but will also be about Cleanliness”.


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Trump asks homeless people to 'move out' immediately

Donald Trump Sunday said homeless people must "move out" of Washington DC as he vowed to tackle crime in the city. He is expected to brief the press on crime in Washington DC, days after he ordered an increase in law enforcement in the capital.

Trump in a series of social media posts said he would discuss stopping violent crime in Washington, which he described as "one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World."

The White House announced a plan to utilize federal law enforcement on the streets of Washington on Thursday, an initiative seemingly motivated by the recent attack on former DOGE employee Edward Coristine, who was assaulted in an attempted carjacking.

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Trump has since insisted that D.C.’s homeless citizens must “move out, IMMEDIATELY” to make the city more “beautiful.”

“We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital,” he posted. “The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong.”

FBI agents moved to Washington DC

Reports also suggest that the president has sent in 120 FBI agents on overnight shifts to help local law enforcement battle crime in the district, The Independent reported. The president will also be speaking about “Cleanliness and the General Physical Renovation and Condition of our once beautiful and well maintained Capital,” he says.

Trump signed an order last month making it easier to arrest homeless people, and he last week ordered federal law enforcement into the streets of Washington DC.

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On Friday, Trump ordered federal agents - including from US Park Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and the US Marshals Service - into Washington DC to curb what he called "totally out of control" levels of crime, according to BBC. A White House official told NPR that up to 450 federal officers were deployed on Saturday night.

The administration is also considering deploying National Guard members, although Trump has not yet made a final decision, according to reports by Reuters and ABC News.

What does the crime data of Washington DC say?

The District of Columbia, founded in 1790, is governed by the Home Rule Act, which grants Congress final authority while allowing residents to elect a mayor and city council. Trump said last week that his legal team is exploring ways to overturn the law — a step that would likely require Congress to repeal it and his approval to enact the change.

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Contrary to the president's claim, preliminary year-to-date crime comparisons from Washington's Metropolitan Police Department show that overall crime in DC has decreased by 7% since last year, with violent crime down 26% and property crime reduced by 5%. In January, the Department of Justice said that violent crime in Washington last year was "the lowest it has been in over 30 years," citing police data.

Mayor Bowser told MSNBC on Sunday: "It is true that we had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023. "We have spent over the last two years driving down violent crime in this city, driving it down to a 30-year low."

She criticised White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller for dubbing the US capital "more violent than Baghdad". "Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false," Bowser said.