On Wednesday, Donald Trump said he was sending in the National Guard to maintain order in Washington D.C. On day one, he’ll put all city police under federal control. Meanwhile, violent crime in the nation’s capital hit a 30-year low. This decision occurs against that very positive backdrop. The past president’s decision sent shockwaves among local ordinances and mayors across the country. They caution that such a move would constitute a dangerous precedent for federal overreach.
At a press conference, Trump said, “We have other cities that are bad. He attacked a number of other cities he claims are laying down and losing control of crime. His claim is even more confounding considering that the five cities he cited are all led by Black mayors. It’s those moves, as well as some incendiary comments made by the former mayor, that critics say are specifically angled towards majority Black communities.
The deployment also takes advantage of laws that give the federal government much wider power over Washington D.C. than other cities. Christina Henderson, an at-large councilmember in Washington D.C., shared her alarm at the rhetoric coming from Trump. She argues that it only continues to spread fear while failing to address the underlying cause of crime in the city.
Brandon Scott, the mayor of Baltimore, defended his city’s safety record, stating, “When it comes to public safety in Baltimore, he should turn off the rightwing propaganda and look at the facts. Baltimore is the safest it’s been in over 50 years.” He went on to point out the difference between Trump’s baseless claims and the real data on rising crime.
In response to Trump’s comments, Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, criticized the deployment as “another experiment by the Administration, another power grab from local government.” She referred to the moves as performative and not substantive.
Trump’s announcement has already prompted backlash on both sides. Stephen Miller, a White House deputy chief of staff, tweeted that “crime stats in big blue cities are fake,” suggesting a larger agenda behind the former president’s narrative. In stark contrast, Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, cautioned that Trump “will gaslight his way into militarising any city he wants in America.”
Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington D.C., has promised full collaboration with federal law enforcement as troops from the National Guard start rolling in. “What I’m focused on is the federal surge and how to make the most of the additional officer support that we have,” she stated. Additionally, she emphasized the professionalism of local law enforcement and expressed confidence in their ability to collaborate effectively with federal forces.
For their part, Chicago’s new mayor Brandon Johnson joined strong criticism of Trump’s troop deployment threats. He warned that such actions would “only serve to destabilize our city and undermine our public safety efforts.”
Critics argue that Trump’s approach in Washington D.C. could serve as a blueprint for similar strong-arm tactics in other urban areas. JB Pritzker, governor of Illinois, condemned Trump’s actions as reminiscent of historical authoritarian measures, asserting that he “has absolutely no right and no legal ability to send troops into the city of Chicago.”
In a notable recent example, Trump asserted that cities such as Oakland and Baltimore are “so far gone.” This remark has raised the temperature of an already overheated debate between city officials who passionately protect their cities from what they argue are baseless charges. Barbara Lee, a congresswoman representing California’s 13th district responded directly to Trump’s comments on Oakland, stating, “President Trump’s characterization of Oakland is wrong and based in fear-mongering in an attempt to score cheap political points.”
Either way, Trump’s announcement has led to an exhilarating discussion. It uncovers deep rifts over what public safety should look like and whether federal intervention has a role in local government. National Guard troops have begun to arrive in Washington D.C. Community policing wins Local officials remain watchful over how this will impact community-police relations and public safety.