President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to place the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control. Speaking at the White House, Trump also ordered the activation of the National Guard to restore law and order in the nation’s capital, declaring the move “Liberation Day” for Washington, D.C.
“This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back,” Trump stated. “Under the authorities vested in me as the President of the United States, I’m officially invoking Section 740 … and placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control.” He said experienced law enforcement leaders would oversee the transition, adding, “They’ve done it before.”
The President said the National Guard will be empowered to “properly” reestablish public safety, citing skyrocketing crime statistics as the reason for his decision. Trump noted that Washington’s murder rate is now higher than Bogotá, Colombia, and Mexico City, with 2023 seeing the highest murder rate in at least 25 years. He also pointed to a doubling of car thefts over the past five years and a tripling of carjackings.
“Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people, and we’re not going to let it happen anymore,” Trump said. He emphasized that public safety should not be a partisan concern, telling reporters, “You don’t want to get mugged and raped and shot and killed … You want to be able to leave your apartment or your house and feel safe.”
Trump compared the move to his approach at the southern border, saying decisive action was needed to stop the violence. The unprecedented federal takeover of the D.C. police force and deployment of the National Guard mark a significant escalation in efforts to curb the city’s worsening crime wave.
