In a move described as unprecedented, U.S. President Donald Trump has transferred administrative and security control of Washington, D.C., to federal forces, deploying the National Guard and other officers across the city.

At a White House press conference on Monday, August 11, Trump announced that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi would oversee the city's police department. He claimed the capital had“fallen into the hands of violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals,” justifying his intervention.

According to Trump, 800 National Guard members have been sent to Washington, D.C., and have temporarily assumed control of the police. Two days earlier, 450 federal officers were already stationed in the city.

The order was issued without prior coordination with the D.C. mayor's office or the Metropolitan Police Department, which traditionally hold jurisdiction over the city's law enforcement operations.

The decision followed an August 2 attack on a former government efficiency official. In its aftermath, Trump blamed the Democrat-led city government for rising crime rates and warned that federal control was inevitable if order was not restored.

Critics argue that the move undermines local authority and risks operational confusion between federal and local forces, potentially worsening security and public trust in the capital.

Supporters defend the action as necessary to address escalating crime, framing it as part of Trump's broader“law and order” platform ahead of the upcoming election season.

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