President Trump said Washington, D.C., will soon become “one of the safest” cities as his administration takes steps to address violent crime in the nation’s capital.
In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump announced that a White House press conference scheduled for Monday will outline his plan to curb violent crime in the District. “It has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World,” he wrote. “It will soon be one of the safest!!!”
The announcement follows the White House’s statement Thursday that it has ordered an increased deployment of federal law enforcement to patrol the city. “Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, per the Washington Times. “President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens.”
The White House said the operation is being led by the U.S. Capitol Police, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Protective Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
The initiative is only scheduled to last for a week, however, though the seven-day deployment could be lengthened, the Times reported. Trump has repeatedly criticized rising crime in Washington, D.C., and has said he could move to federalize the city. Doing so would require Congress to overturn the 1973 Home Rule Act, which granted the District the authority to elect its own local government.
In a lengthy social media post this week, President Trump addressed the violent mugging of Edward Coristine, the Department of Government Efficiency staffer nicknamed “Big Balls.” Trump urged Washington, D.C., to change its laws so that teenagers aged 14 and older who commit crimes are prosecuted as adults.