President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he will seek more permanent federal control of the Washington, D.C., police force as he continues his efforts to ramp-up crime enforcement in the nation’s capital.
Earlier this week, Trump announced his plans to deploy National Guard troops in the nation’s capital, declaring a public safety emergency in order to put the Washington police department under federal control and station the National Guard on the city’s streets. Trump’s control of the D.C. police force expires in 30 days, after which Congress would have to weigh in.
Asked Wednesday whether he’d work with Congress to extend the emergency authorization allowing him to seize temporary control of local law enforcement, Trump said he’ll ask Congress for a “long-term” extension of federal control of the Washington police force.
President Donald Trump takes a question from the press during a visit to the Kennedy Center in Washington, August 13, 2025.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
“We’re going to be asking for extensions on that — long-term extensions, because you can’t have 30 days,” Trump said at an event at the Kennedy Center Wednesday afternoon.
Trump indicated at one point that he’d ask Congress for more funds to fight crime and to make repairs to Washington.
“We’re going to make Washington beautiful. We’re going to redo roads. We’re going to redo the medians. The pavers and the medians are all throughout the city. We’re going to take all the graffiti off. We’re going to have to remove the tents. And the people that are living in our parks, we’re going to be redoing the parks, the grasses and all. We’re going to be going to Congress for a relatively small amount of money. And Lindsey [Graham] and the Republicans are going to be approving it,” Trump said.
Trump has long threatened to take control of Washington, saying he wants to crack down on violent crime in the District although police statistics show that in the past two years, violent crime has fallen dramatically.
“Fighting crime is a good thing. We have to explain we’re going to fight crime — that’s a good thing,” Trump said Wednesday afternoon. “Already they’re saying, ‘He’s a dictator.’ The place is going to hell. We’ve got to stop it. So instead of saying, ‘He’s a dictator,’ they should say, ‘We’re going to join him and make Washington safe.'”
A convoy of soldiers assigned to the 273rd Military Police Company, Washington, D.C. National Guard, arrive at the National Mall to conduct patrol operations, August 12, 2025.
Staff Sgt. Deonte Rowell/AU.S. Army
Trump pledged to make Washington “crime-free.”
“We’re going to be essentially crime-free. This is going to be a beacon, and it’s going to also serve as an example of what can be done,” Trump said.
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard II, the Adjutant General of the District of Columbia Army National Guard, visits with soldiers assigned to the 273rd Military Police Company, during patrol operations at the National Mall, August 12, 2025.
Staff Sgt. Deonte Rowell/U.S. Army
Soldiers assigned to the 273rd Military Police Company, Washington, D.C. National Guard, patrol the National Mall, in Washington, August 12, 2025.
Sgt. Joseph Spraktes/U.S. Army
A member of the DC National Guard joins his unit near the Washington Monument on August 12, 2025 in Washington.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
On Tuesday night, more than 1,450 federal law enforcement officers and National Guard members patrolled Washington, according to a White House official. Law enforcement teams made 43 arrests on Tuesday night — nearly twice the amount they made Monday night.
Those law enforcement teams included 750 D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officers who were “uniformed, marked as patrol and directly assigned as anti-crime officers,” the White House official said. That was in addition to the federal law enforcement who had been previously mobilized in the area. The White House official said that there were about 30 National Guard troops on the ground last night.
The law enforcement teams, which included 19 inter-agency teams, were “deployed throughout all seven districts in D.C. to promote public safety and arrest violent offenders,” the White House official said.
After Trump’s announcement Monday, approximately 850 officers and agents fanned out over D.C. right after Trump declared a crime emergency in the capital, making 23 arrests, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.
The surge in federal law enforcement has yielded more than 100 total arrests since Aug. 7, according to a White House official. The official said that the charges have included one homicide charge, seven narcotics charges, 33 firearms charges, 10 warrants, 23 charges against undocumented immigrants and 29 other charges. The official adds that they have seized 24 firearms since operations began.
The official said that on Wednesday night they expect “significantly higher National Guard presence to be on the ground throughout Washington, D.C.” The White House official adds that beginning Wednesday night, the operations will transition to round-the-clock, 24/7 operations. Operations had been previously focused on evening and overnight hours.
ABC News producers did not see any National Guard or increased law enforcement presence around Washington Wednesday afternoon — including around the National Mall, D.C. Armory or in Logan Circle, the site where a man was gunned down earlier this week.
On Tuesday, National Guard troops were spotted on the National Mall, with many stationed around the base of the Washington Monument. The troops left Wednesday morning. It was not immediately clear why the presence of U.S. troops along the National Mall was needed, other than to put Trump’s orders on display. The area, marked by museums, monuments and long stretches of grass, is known as a relatively safe part of the city that attracts mostly tourists and school groups.
ABC News’ John Parkinson contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that National Guard did not make any arrests of individuals in Washington.
