Can Trump invoke a federal takeover of Washington DC? Legal hurdles stand in US President's way

US President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he will hold a “press conference” at 10 a.m. ET on Monday, teasing that the event “will, essentially, stop violent crime in Washington, D.C.” The commander-in-chief is expected to ramp up efforts to curb crime in the nation’s capital on Monday as he threatens a federal takeover of Washington, DC.

The event comes after Trump launched a surge of federal law enforcement in DC over the weekend that up to 450 officers were expected participate in, CNN reported citing a White House official. This comes after vicious attack on Edward Coristine last weekend, which saw him badly beaten by a group of juvenile carjackers, appears to have been the inciting incident behind the president’s actions.

Publicising his press conference yesterday, Trump declared on Truth Social: “I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before.”


He added: “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.”

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Can Trump federalise DC?

Trump threatened to take federal control of Washington, D.C., following the alleged early-morning attempted carjacking and beating of a former DOGE staffer. Trump has long lamented what he sees as the "horribly run" capital and expressed his desires to seize control over a "FILTHY AND CRIME RIDDEN EMBARRASSMENT TO OUR NATION."

He also called for teens as young as 14 to be prosecuted as adults, claiming "[l]ocal 'youths' and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens." Two teens, a 15-year-old boy and girl, were arrested and charged with unarmed carjacking, per the Metropolitan Police Department. Authorities are seeking multiple other suspects.

The District of Columbia, established in 1790, operates under the Home Rule Act, which gives Congress ultimate authority but allows residents to elect a mayor and city council. Trump said last week that lawyers are examining how to overturn the law, a move that would likely require Congress to revoke it and him to sign off.

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But nixing DC home rule is not something he could do via executive power, according to Axios. Congress would have to overturn the Home Rule Act of 1973 to take over Washington DC. The Home Rule Act was signed into law by former President Richard Nixon after the District's residents pushed for more control.

Before Congress granted DC home rule, the president appointed the city's mayor and Congress and unelected commissioners oversaw the districts laws and local affairs. Now, district residents elect their mayor, councilmembers and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, per the ACLU of D.C.

The local government can pass and enforce local laws and the district's budget — but the federal government can still "micromanage" money and local laws, the report says.

Congress has the ultimate authority over the city’s laws, forcing D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to navigate a delicate balance during a period of Republican control.

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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. So, repealing home rule would be a challenging feat, given the hurdle of the filibuster.

Other ways Trump could squeeze DC?

Under the Home Rule Act, Trump can temporarily take over District police."[W]henever the President of the United States determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist" that require him to use the force, "he may direct the Mayor to provide him, and the Mayor shall provide such services," the Act reads. During the protests of the summer of 2020, Trump considered taking over MPD, but ultimately did not after pushback from District officials, Axios said in a report.

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The DC National Guard operates under the president’s authority. Trump in March signed an executive order creating the “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force,” aimed at cracking down on crime and intensifying immigration enforcement in the capital.

Abolishing home rule is just one way Congress can exert influence over Washington, D.C. Another, as the Washington Post points out, is through “budget riders” attached to spending bills. The Home Rule Act explicitly states that “Congress reserves the right, at any time, to exercise its constitutional authority as legislature for the District.”

According to Axios’ Cuneyt Dil, Trump could use his Republican majority to pressure the city by tightening its budget and reshaping its laws.