DC Mayor Muriel Bowser calls Trump’s police takeover ‘unsettling’ despite city’s 30-year crime low

WASHINGTON, DC: Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday, August 11, sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard and assume control over the city’s police department, calling the move “unsettling and unprecedented.”

She argued that the capital’s violent crime rate had already fallen to a 30-year low, rendering the intervention unnecessary.

Washington, DC Mayor rebukes Donald Trump’s National Guard deployment

Speaking at a press conference, Muriel Bowser rejected Trump’s characterization of DC as a city in crisis. “So it’s very important to me that for all who live here and visit here, just know how beautiful our city is and how proud we are of all that we’ve accomplished here,” she said, stressing that the administration’s narrative did not reflect the reality on the ground.

“We’re unique in other ways as well, though. We pay taxes. In fact, we pay more than most states per capita. We’re not a state. We don’t control the DC National Guard. We don’t have senators or full autonomy,” she shared, adding, “Limited home rule gives the federal government the ability to intrude on our autonomy in many ways.”

Bowser suggested Trump’s decision was influenced by his impressions of Washington during his first term, saying, “I’ve said before and I’ll repeat that I believe that the president’s view of DC is shaped by his COVID-era experience during his first term. And it is true that those were more challenging times related to some issues. It is also true that we experienced a crime spike post-COVID.”

Crime has dropped significantly, Muriel Bowser claims

Muriel Bowser highlighted the city’s recent public safety gains, pointing out that violent crime fell by 35% in 2024 and dropped another 26% in the first seven months of 2025.

“Crime isn’t just down from 2023. It’s also down from 2019, before the pandemic. And we’re at a 30-year violent crime low. We’re not satisfied. We haven’t taken our foot off the gas,” she said. While acknowledging a rise in violence after COVID, Bowser stressed that the city moved quickly to crack down on offenders and boost police resources.

She credited Police Chief Pamela Smith and the Metropolitan Police Department’s 3,100 officers for their role in the city’s progress.

The mayor also highlighted DC’s unique political status, reminding residents that the city lacks full autonomy, congressional representation, and control over its National Guard. Under the Home Rule Charter, the president can require the mayor to provide MPD services in special emergencies—a power Bowser said Trump was now exercising.

“Chief Pamela is the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, and its 3,100 members work under her direction,” Bowser clarified. “We will follow the law, though there’s a question about the subjectivity of that declaration.”

Donald Trump takes control of DC police

President Trump on Monday, August 11, announced an unprecedented federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), invoking emergency powers under the District of Columbia’s Home Rule Act. The move includes deploying 800 National Guard troops to patrol the city’s streets.

Calling it “liberation day in DC,” Trump vowed to “take our capital back” from what he described as an unprecedented wave of criminal activity.

Trump argued that Washington, DC, had been “overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals,” pointing to the recent assault on a staffer as proof of a broader safety crisis.

Calling his move “historic,” he said it would “rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor and worse.” He vowed that “Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR.”

As part of the takeover, Drug Enforcement Agency Administrator Terry Cole has been appointed to lead the Metropolitan Police Department during the period of federal control, and Trump warned that the military could be deployed if needed.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that National Guard units would begin arriving “in force” within the coming week, with reinforcements from specialised military teams on standby. “They will be strong, they will be tough, and they will stand with their law enforcement partners,” Hegseth said.

Trump signalled that he would not hesitate to bring in the military if necessary to secure the city.