US President Donald Trump said he will be patrolling Washington, DC, streets along with troops he deployed recently, ramping up his crusade against what he describes as a "crime emergency." The president has portrayed the action as a means to "take our capital back," despite crime statistics in the city indicating violent crimes are reducing.
Speaking to Newsmax, Trump stated, "I'm going to be going out tonight I think with the police and with the military of course … We're going to be doing a job." The comments came after a tense moment for Vice-President J.D. Vance, who was boisterously booed and chanted with "Free DC!" as he made an appearance with deployed troops.
The deployment consists of 800 DC National Guard troops, backed up by about 1,200 extra soldiers from Republican-controlled states including Ohio, Louisiana, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Troops have been deployed around prominent locations such as the National Mall, Union Station, Nationals Park, and along monuments, putting military personnel in a visible presence in the capital of the country.
Though some residents applaud the crackdown as their neighborhoods require more policing, others find the display of force to be unnecessary and disproportionate. Critics observe that troops are deployed in areas with high tourist traffic instead of neighborhoods where violent crime is a more prevalent problem.
Aiding tensions, Trump has also sought to exert more power over Washington's local police department, trying to push its leadership aside, reports say. The move has stirred fears of the administration undermining local authority in a city that already has no statehood or voting rights in Congress.
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The large military presence has evoked a spirit of artistic defiance among citizens. A man who was caught on camera throwing a sandwich at an officer has since been hailed as a local hero, with Banksy-esque "Sandwich Guy" posters seen plastered on city walls.
At the same time, Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller's trip to Union Station was greeted with boos, insults, and chants from protesters who assembled outside. Vance later brushed off the backlash, referring to protesters as "a bunch of crazy protesters.
In contrast to Trump's threats of a downward-spiraling city, Washington's crime data reveals significant downward trending in violent crime from 2023 to 2024, indicating the "crime emergency" may be more political than factual.
