President Donald Trump speaks alongside Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi during a press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Aug. 11, 2025. Photo: VCG

US President Donald Trump announced Monday at the White House that he is deploying the National Guard to help restore law and order and public safety in Washington, DC, according to media reports. The administration's decision has sparked partisan spats in the US and mixed reaction from local residents. 

According to the Associated Press (AP), US President said he is taking over Washington's police department, activating 800 National Guard members, declaring a public safety emergency, and ordering the removal of homeless encampments.

Trump stated that he has invoked the Home Rule Act to place the Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Trump noted that his administration sent 500 federal agents into the district last week, including from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Park Police, the US Marshals Service, the Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland Security, according to Xinhua. 

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Guard members will be "flowing into the streets of Washington in the coming week" and that the Pentagon is prepared to deploy other "specialized" Guard units, without offering details, the AP reported. 

Hegseth told CNN there would be no "rogue law enforcement going on from the National Guard" in Washington, DC and noted, when pressed, that soldiers would have the authorization to temporarily detain people.

DC Police Union Chairman Greggory Pemberton said Monday that the group agrees with President Donald Trump that crime is out of control in DC and that "something needs to be done," according to the CNN.

However, local officials voiced opposition to President Trump's decision. 

District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb called the administration's actions "unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful," according to the Associated Press. He said "there is no crime emergency in the District of Columbia."

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said President Donald Trump's action today "is unsettling and unprecedented," according to the CNN. Bowser also noted that the DC is not a state and therefore does not control its National Guard or have "full autonomy."

She defended the police department's efforts, citing a decline in crime from a 2023 spike, and downplayed what she called a "so-called emergency" behind Trump's order, Politico reported. 

Metropolitan Police data show homicides, robberies and burglaries are down compared with this time in 2024, with violent crime down 26 percent, the AP reported. 

The administration's move also sparked partisan backlash as Democrats criticized Trump's order. 

According to the Hill, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said in a statement that Trump's "ever-expanding use of the military for domestic matters is beyond alarming." Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) argued that "using US military forces to enforce a policy agenda on American soil is a gross abuse of power that reeks of authoritarianism."

The Democratic Mayors Association released a statement on X, pushing back against Trump's plan, calling the federal intervention in Washington DC "a political charade." 

Eleanor Holmes Norton, a non-voting delegate who represents DC in Congress, and Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen announced Monday plans to reintroduce legislation that would grant the District of Columbia full control over its Metropolitan Police Department and the DC National Guard, according to CNN. 

However, with GOP majorities in both the House and Senate, the legislation is unlikely to become law, the media outlet noted. 

According to the New York Times, about 150 people gathered a block north of the White House on Monday DC, protesting what they said was the president's latest attempt to assert control over the city. 

Fox News interviewed local residents, and highlighted the "mix reactions" to federal takeover of local law enforcement, saying "some welcome it."

A Washington resident told the media that "the city is really getting dangerous," and "we need all the protection that we can get in the city." She told Fox News that she has to "make sure to come home before sundown" and is afraid of being robbed when she gets off public transportation.   

Sun Chenghao, a fellow and head of the US-EU program at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that Trump's latest move have sparked partisan spats, as some Democrats questioned the boundaries of the presidential authority.

The expert added that for the US President, addressing the public safety issues in the US capital would help strengthen the "law and order" agenda, thereby consolidating the support of core voters and diverting public attention from other issues. However, Democrats might view the actions as a way to mobilize voters early on in order to gain an early advantage in the next year's congressional elections.