President Donald Trump said he was deploying the National Guard to Washington DC and taking control of the city’s police force as he pledged to crack down on crime and homelessness in the city.
Trump declared a “public safety emergency” on Monday, deploying 800 National Guard troops to bolster hundreds of federal law enforcement officers who were deployed over the weekend.
“It’s becoming a situation of complete and total lawlessness,” he told reporters at the White House. Trump said Washington DC had been “taken over by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals” as well as “drugged out maniacs and homeless people”.
Of the 800 National Guard troops who will be activated, between 100-200 will be deployed and supporting law enforcement at any given time, the army said in a statement. As well as that deployment, Trump said he would place the city’s police department under direct federal control using the District of Columbia Home Rule Act
