Trump to federalize Washington DC? Homeless ordered to ‘move out immediately’

US President Donald Trump this weekend took to Truth Social to announce a press conference on Monday that he claimed would end violent crime in the nation’s capital. Trump touted his administration’s moves to address violence and crime in the nation’s capital, claiming it would soon be “one of the safest” cities in the United States.

On Sunday, the commander-in-chief said homeless people must be moved "far" from Washington, after days of musing about taking federal control of the US capital where he has falsely suggested crime is rising. "I'm going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before," the president posted on his Truth Social platform Sunday.

At present, Washington DC is run by the locally elected government of the District of Columbia under congressional oversight. It is an arrangement Trump has long publicly chafed at. He has threatened to federalize the city and give the White House the final say in how it is run.

'Homeless move out'

"The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital," he continued, adding that criminals in the city would be swiftly imprisoned.

"It's all going to happen very fast," he said.

The White House is expected to hold a news conference Monday to unveil further plans to “stop violent crime” in Washington, DC, after federal agents began rounding up drug-pushers, illegal handguns and culprits as part of a multi-agency crackdown.

“On Monday a Press Conference will be held at the White House which will, essentially, stop violent crime in Washington, D.C.” said Trump. “It has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World. It will soon be one of the safest!!!”

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Federal law enforcement in Washington?

Trump on Thursday directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement around Washington, DC, a day after threatening the federal government could seize control of it. That move came a day after a former member of his so-called Department of Government Efficiency was injured during an attempted carjacking in DC.

Last weekend, a member of DOGE, Edward Coristine, nicknamed “Big Balls,” was assaulted by a group of teenagers. Police have detained two 15-year-olds and have said they’re still looking for other members of the group.

The city, which has voted overwhelmingly for Democrats for decades, has also been seeking to end all federal control of the city, a movement known as “home rule.” Trump also threatened to take charge of the city’s police force following an attempted hijacking in which an administration staffer was injured.

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Trump said the ramp-up of security would last for seven days, “with the option to extend as needed.” DC had the fourth-highest homicide rate among US cities in 2024, according to statistics compiled by the Center for Public Safety Initiatives at Rochester Institute of Technology, with 27.3 murders per 100,000 people.

“If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore,” Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this week.

Trump didn’t specify what the press conference would include. He has, in recent months, claimed that violent crime was taking over Washington, and he has threatened to send in the National Guard.

This week, he told reporters that he may attempt to repeal Washington’s limited “home rule” and that he’s considering “bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly.”

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“Local ‘youths’ and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released,” Trump posted on his Truth Social on Tuesday.

From 2023 to 2024, violent crime in Washington fell by 35%, reaching its lowest level in over 30 years, according to the Department of Justice. Fresh data from the Metropolitan Police Department, released on August 8, shows the decline has continued this year, with rates down another 26% compared to the same period last year.

Violence has been dropping in the District for two years, according to local police data. As of Jan. 3, violent crime in DC in 2024 was at a 30-year low, according to the US Justice Department.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)