US President Donald Trump put the metropolitan police department of Washington, DC, under federal control on Monday and announced he would also deploy the National Guard to the US capital city.

Trump claimed the US capital has been taken over "by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals."

However, police statistics show that violent crime in Washington fell by 35% in 2024, and fell a further 26% in the first six months of 2025.

Washington's Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has previously said that the city is "not experiencing a crime spike" and noted that violent crime hit its lowest level in more than three decades last year.

Meanwhile, Trump also said authorities would continue to destroy homeless encampments, which he referred to as "slums."

What do we know about the National Guard deployment to Washington?

In his announcement, Trump said some 800 National Guard troops would be deployed to Washington.

The National Guard is a reserve unit of the US armed forces. States typically have control over it but the president can also take command during war or emergencies.

DW's Washington bureau chief Ines Pohl said it was important to remember that the District of Columbia was not a state with a governor, and that it ultimately falls under federal control.

"The president can control Washington — it's his right," she said.

Ahead of Trump's announcement, Washington's mayor told US broadcaster MSNBC on Sunday that she thought it was "not the most efficient use of our Guard."

"Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false," Bowser added.

Trump — himself a convicted felon — previously pardoned around 1,500 people who were implicated in the January 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol Building in Washington.

Democrats hit back at Trump

Washington's Attorney General Brian Schwalb accused the White House of acting in a way that was "unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful."

"There is no crime emergency in the District of Columbia. Violent crime in DC reached historic 30-year lows last year, and is down another 26% so far this year," Schwalb said on social media.

"We are considering all of our options and will do what is necessary to protect the rights and safety of District residents."

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries meanwhile said that Trump had "zero credibility on the issue of law and order" and told the president to "get lost."

Trump's announcement comes after he controversially deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles during major protests in June. Most of them have since been recalled.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Trump was "getting warmed up in Los Angeles."

"He will gaslight his way into militarizing any city he wants in America," he said on X. "This is what dictators do."

Edited by: Wesley Dockery