Donald Trump has declared war on Washington. All cable news nets covered it, and much of the coverage — shocking, I know — broke along partisan lines, which is sadly predictable.
In a dramatic, sweeping, and lengthy press conference, Trump vowed to crack down on crime in D.C., calling it “liberation day.” He forcefully declared the city is plagued by “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor, and worse.” He used that rhetoric to justify his audacious move.
The president said he’ll deploy the National Guard, place the local police under federal control, and bring in the military “if necessary.” He added that officers will be authorized to do “whatever the hell they want.”
“Washington, D.C. should be one of the safest places in the world.” He promised that “crime is ending today.” And he criticized Democrats, saying the “radical Left is out of control.”
Donald Trump entered the briefing room flanked by Cabinet members, Fox News host turned U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, and others who are involved in his plan.
He marveled at the number of journalists in the room. “I’ve never seen this room so packed. I’m sure it’s a violation of every fire code.” Something about him has always been obsessed with crowd size.
From my time in the briefing room covering President Obama, I agree, it was absolutely packed. What journalist wants to miss questioning the president about the unprecedented seizure of local control? Especially when he talks about expanding the move to other cities such as Chicago.
Trump acknowledged that while many in the press are liberals, they have to like the plan because it will keep them safe. In D.C., “No one will be sad about policing.”
Trump doesn’t usually try to convince the press to agree with him. But he was right in that one journalist took his side. In the press conference, a reporter told him he had been robbed at gunpoint and the perpetrator “got away with it.”
Fox News and CNN carried the entire hour-plus press conference. Not so at MSNBC, which pulled away after 20 minutes to bring in panelists who thought the concept “seems like a half-baked idea,” and said, “If you have a hammer, then everything looks like a nail.” Another panelist added, based on Trump saying that homeless camps will be disbanded, “people who are homeless are not all criminals,” and many are veterans.
Their words — chyrons — under the video during the press conference questioned why Donald Trump was doing this when D.C. has seen falling crime rates in the last two years, saying he has cherry-picked crime numbers. A graphic on MSNBC showed that DC’s murder rate in 2024 was fifth in the nation at 27%, behind St. Louis, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Detroit.
While on Fox News, the plan was hailed as “brilliant” by Lisa Boothe, and some cited attacks on members of Congress and congressional staff. They agreed with Judge Jeanine that laws are too weak on minors because some are 12-and 13-year-olds committing violent crimes. Pirro has vowed to change the law to be able to charge children under the age of 18. And the administration vowed to change “no cash bail,” which allows some people to be released from jail without having to pay money.
The hype around the announcement had been building on TV when Trump released a graphic picture of a beaten and bloodied former DOGE employee, known as Big Balls (Edward Coristine), who was so badly injured in a carjacking that the image was heartbreaking to look at. A 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl have been charged.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was not surprised by this move and called putting police under federal control “unsettling and unprecedented.” And local TV led with the news, complete with criticism for big-footing D.C. police.
Experts told the local stations that there are different kinds of data, and this is “comparing apples to spaceships.” An “I-Team” member on the local NBC station said while crime has dropped in every ward of the city, the District of Columbia still has a long way to go. What’s more, based on a new report, he asked if we can believe the crime statistics from the D.C. police.
MSNBC anchor Katy Tur asked a guest about the murder rate and Trump’s statistics to “give the numbers he gave and the numbers that are accurate.” The guest responded that violent crime in DC is down 26% compared to 2024, a 30-year low.
But no one cares about abstract statistics if they are getting carjacked.
The president cares about optics, but there may not be a lot that federal troops can do.
When I covered local news in Washington, I had to brace myself for all the local murders and crimes I covered in that if-it-bleeds-it-leads atmosphere. Separating your emotions from these tragic crimes isn’t easy, but it’s part of the job. Some of the images I saw were unforgettable, and haunted me when I was off-duty. And I support getting tough on crime.
By the way, Washington is the number five city for violent crime, even with the reduction. How is that acceptable? How is that something to brag about? It’s a pathetic situation.
Is this a good use of the National Guard’s time? A made-up, non-emergency requirement that requires them to be in charge of the local cops? It could be one more indication of creating a diversion from the Epstein files and economic factors that are impacting the average American.
Donald Trump cares about optics, and this shows him in charge, shifting the conversation to law and order in a way that “ignites his base,” as one TV pundit said.
Substacker Tara Palmeri said, “he has to create a circus, a war … a threat that is just perceived.” Anti-Trump conservative Andrew Sullivan described him as a “mad king.”
But Trump did something smart. He spoke directly to the reporters, saying they and their families want to feel safe. So even some who don’t like the president are welcoming more federal firepower if it helps stop this excruciating wave of carjackings and violence.
Look, this is a nonstop show of Trump finding new ways to expand executive power in ways we haven’t seen before. It would be fair to call it a power grab.
But now Donald Trump owns it. And if he doesn’t find a way to quickly reduce violent crime, he’ll have nobody else to blame.
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