President Trump has had enough of the out-of-control violent crime in the District of Columbia, not to mention the exceptionally soft sentences being handed to offenders, and is threatening to “federalize” the Democrat-run city if nothing is done to address the problems. This comes after a DOGE staffer was severely beaten when he came to the aid of a woman being attacked by a rampaging mob of teen boys.
Trump took to Truth Social to put Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser and the city council on notice that something needs to be done immediately—and if they won’t do it, he will.
🚨NEW — Trump threatens to “FEDERALIZE” Washington D.C. in order to reign in “local ‘youths’ and gang members!”
“The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these ‘minors’ as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14.” pic.twitter.com/4MJxZ5Wg2P
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 5, 2025
During an impromptu press conference held after the Tuesday afternoon signing of an executive order related to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the president added some context to his earlier post. He didn’t mince words, telling city leaders to “straighten their act out.”
.@POTUS: “Somebody from @DOGE was very badly hurt last night… a young man who was beat up by a bunch of thugs in D.C. Either they’re going to straighten their act out… or we’re going to have to federalize and run it the way it’s supposed to be run.” https://t.co/Z6Ywr9oYYX pic.twitter.com/yhg9mRfDaF
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 5, 2025
The White House Rapid Response team posted a photo of the DOGE employee following the beating, and it’s pretty brutal. Elon Musk, former head of DOGE, weighed in on the beating of the staffer and advocated for the federalization of the Nation’s Capital.
A few days ago, a gang of about a dozen young men tried to assault a woman in her car at night in DC.
A @Doge team member saw what was happening, ran to defend her and was severely beaten to the point of concussion, but he saved her.
It is time to federalize DC. pic.twitter.com/RPHKj7J3ti
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 5, 2025
In June, an intern for Republican Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas was gunned down as he stepped out to pick up some dinner. Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, was just an innocent bystander; the Metropolitan Police Department has yet to identify a suspect in his murder. A month before that, a park in the Navy Yard, home to the Naval Sea Systems Command, was besieged by a mob of teenagers who proceeded to fight and cause chaos for local residents.
RELATED: Jeanine Pirro Confirmed As DC’s Top Prosecutor—but Dems Stall Other Nominees
So, what can the president actually do to restore law and order in DC? Congress has legislative authority over the town, making it a federal city. The president, however, can exercise certain powers, such as deploying the DC National Guard to patrol the city streets. He can also deploy federal law enforcement agencies—think the FBI, ATF, Secret Service, U.S. Marshals. And, luckily, Jeanine Pirro just got Senate approval to be DC’s top prosecutor.
It’s clear that President Trump isn’t happy with what he’s seeing from his vantage point at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As violent crime spirals and the Democrats who run the city dither, Trump is reminding everyone that the Nation’s Capital is a federal district, and he’s more than ready to use every tool at his disposal to restore order.
