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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that 800 National Guard troops were being deployed immediately, with more military forces ready if needed.
The decision comes after a brutal August 3 attack on 19-year-old Edward Coristine — known as “Big Balls” from his time at the Department of Government Efficiency — during an attempted carjacking. Police have arrested two 15-year-old suspects, but others remain at large.
The reaction from the Left was immediate and loud. Just hours after Trump’s announcement, roughly 150 activists with the group “Free D.C.” assembled near the White House to protest what they called a police state.
Carrying signs like “Free D.C. No Police State” and “Resist Tyranny,” they made it clear their fight wasn’t for public safety — it was for preserving the same failed policies that have left D.C. residents living in fear.
“Trump is trying to annex D.C. from the White House,” complained Lisa Walker, a Maryland resident and former teacher in the D.C. public school system.
Ken Greene, a long-time D.C. resident, accused Trump of “usurping the concept of home rule,” putting process ahead of safety.
Alex Dodds, co-founder of Free D.C., went further, smearing Trump as authoritarian. “D.C. is our home. It belongs to the people who live here, and Trump can’t have it,” he claimed.
The protest took place on the same stretch of road that served as a hotspot for Black Lives Matter riots in 2020 — a telling location for their demonstration.
Prominent Democrats wasted no time blasting Trump’s move. Senator Dick Durbin dismissed it as “political theater” — as if violent crime on city streets were just part of the show.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb labeled the action “unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful” while threatening legal challenges.
House Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton denounced it as an “historic assault on D.C. home rule” and a “counterproductive, escalatory seizure.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic Mayors Association bizarrely claimed “crime is down in most major cities” while ignoring the reality in D.C., where residents and visitors alike face daily danger.
Trump’s plan is already delivering. Over the weekend, federal law enforcement arrested multiple suspects and seized large quantities of fentanyl, crack cocaine, and meth.
Officers also picked up criminals for larceny, unlicensed firearms, and immigration violations — charges local leaders have been slow to enforce.
“You’re going to see police, or you’re going to see FBI agents – going to have a lot of agents on the street,” Trump said.
In addition to 100 FBI agents, 40 ATF agents, DEA officers, ICE personnel, and U.S. Marshals are now patrolling D.C.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer praised the move, stating, “President Trump is rightly using executive power to take bold and necessary action to crack down on crime and restore law and order in Washington, D.C.”
For Democrats, D.C. has been a showcase for their style of governance — soft on crime and heavy on politics. Trump’s decision threatens that narrative by proving that strong leadership works.
He’s made it clear other cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago should clean up their streets before facing similar federal intervention. Under the Home Rule Act, Trump can maintain control of D.C.’s police for 30 days, with Republican-led Congress likely to extend it.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin summed it up in one line: “It is a bad day for criminals in Washington, D.C.”
The contrast is unmistakable — Republicans are backing law enforcement while Democrats seem more interested in defending criminals and chaos. Trump’s “Liberation Day” is more than just a local crackdown. It’s a warning shot to every Democrat-run city in America: either protect your citizens, or the federal government will.
