WASHINGTON
— President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will ask Congress for “long-term” control of Washington’s police department and suggested he could take similar action in other Democratic-led cities.
The comments came as the White House credited federal agents and National Guard troops with dozens of arrests in the nation’s capital overnight. City leaders say the crackdown targets a “crime crisis” that they argue does not exist.
Trump this week invoked a rarely used provision in the federal law governing the District of Columbia to assume temporary control of the Metropolitan Police Department. The law allows such control for up to 30 days, but extending it would require congressional approval.
“We’re going to need a crime bill that we’re going to be putting in, and it’s going to pertain initially to D.C.,” Trump said during a visit to the Kennedy Center. “We’re going to use it as a very positive example, and we’re going to be asking for extensions on that, long-term extensions, because you can’t have 30 days.”
The president said he expects to propose legislation “very quickly,” though Congress is not scheduled to return until Sept. 2. He also suggested he could act without lawmakers if he declares a national emergency.
Federal agents and National Guard troops were visible across the capital Tuesday night. Video obtained by local media showed officers arresting at least one person in Columbia Heights, a neighborhood with the city’s largest Hispanic population. Other videos showed traffic stops near Kennedy Street in northwest Washington, an area historically associated with gang activity.
The White House said the deployment resulted in 43 arrests Tuesday night, twice as many as the previous evening. A Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson said 76 arrests were made citywide that day, compared with an average of 56 daily arrests in 2024.
Local officials dispute Trump’s description of crime in the city. Police data shows crime rates fell last year to the lowest level in three decades, though violent crime rates remain higher than in some similarly sized U.S. cities.
More than 1,450 officers participated in Tuesday night’s operation, including about 30 National Guard members. Defense officials have said as many as 800 Guard troops are expected to be deployed for the mission.
