In an unprecedented announcement Monday morning, President Donald Trump declared it “Liberation Day in D.C.” and announced he was taking over Washington’s police force. Speaking from the White House briefing room, Trump invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act—a rarely used provision—to place the Metropolitan Police Department under direct White House control and deploy the D.C. National Guard into the streets. Trump said, “We’re going to take our capital back,” flanked by Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
He painted Washington as a city “overtaken by violent gangs” and claimed its murder rate exceeds Baghdad and Mexico City. This statement contradicts the Justice Department and MPD data showing violent crime has dropped to a 30-year low in the city.
The speech deviated from incorrect crime statistics to political grievance, where he tied the takeover to cultural issues, railing against “sanctuary cities,” saying,
“That’s why they want men playing in women’s sports. That’s why they want transgender for everybody. Everybody transgender.”
Meanwhile, Bondi promised an immediate crime crackdown, naming former Fox News host and judge Janine Pirro to lead prosecutions. Hegseth said the Guard deployment would be “strong” and “tough,” with additional specialized units on standby. Mayor Muriel Bowser condemned Trump’s claims as “hyperbolic and false,” warning that the move was “inefficient and inappropriate.” She pointed to falling crime rates and vowed to protect the city’s queer resources.
For Washington’s LGBTQ community, which amounts to 14.5 percent of its adult population, and is the highest in the U.S., Trump’s takeover raises fears about federal control over programs and protections in what Bowser calls “the gayest city in the world.”
