President Donald Trump ordered law enforcement to increase its presence in Washington, D.C. to combat violent crime. The move follows Trump’s March executive order establishing a task force in D.C. to make the area “safe and beautiful.”
“Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long. President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C.,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, as per The Hill. “President Trump is committed to making our nation’s capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world.”
Trump’s order declared that the nation’s capital must be “a place in which residents, commuters, and tourists feel safe at all hours, including on public transit.”
“Its highways, boulevards, and parks should be clean, well-kept, and pleasant,” the order read. “Its monuments, museums, and buildings should reflect and inspire awe and appreciation for our Nation’s strength, greatness, and heritage. Our citizens deserve nothing less.”
One of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force’s responsibilities will be to deploy a “more robust Federal law enforcement presence and coordinating with local law enforcement to facilitate the deployment of a more robust local law enforcement presence as appropriate in areas in or about the District of Columbia” to ensure that “all applicable quality of life, nuisance, and public-safety laws are strictly enforced, such as those prohibiting assault, battery, larceny, graffiti and other vandalism, unpermitted disturbances and demonstrations, noise, trespassing, public intoxication, drug possession, sale, and use, and traffic violation,” the order explained.
President Trump warned on August 5 that he would “federalize” the city after Department of Government Efficiency staffer Edward Coristine was assaulted.
“Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control. 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. They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now! The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these ‘minors’ as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, stating that the “most recent victim was beaten mercilessly by local thugs.”
“Washington, D.C., must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see. 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,” he added. “Perhaps it should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of Violent Crime. If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
