President Donald Trump has signaled he’s ready to federalize Washington, D.C., over what he calls “totally out of control” crime in the nation’s capital.
In an Aug. 5 post on his Truth Social platform, Trump, 79, said he was concerned about local “youths” and gang members, some as young as “14, 15, and 16-years-old,” who are “randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens” without fear of consequences due to their near-immediate release after arrests.
Trump demanded immediate changes to D.C.’s legal framework, stating, “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.” The statement referenced a recent incident in which “the most recent victim was beaten mercilessly by local thugs,” underscoring the urgency of addressing violent crime in the city.
The president also warned he would be open to federalizing D.C. if it “doesn’t get its act together, and quickly.”
“We will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore,” he added, noting that such action might have prevented past tragedies. “Perhaps it should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of Violent Crime.”
As it’s the nation’s capital, the president emphasized that “Washington, D.C., must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see.” Trump’s post concluded with a dramatic ultimatum: “If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
His post also included an image of a young, shirtless man covered in blood, who was later identified by Fox News as Edward Coristine, a former employee for the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In April, Coristine told Fox News’ Jesse Watters about some of the work he did with DOGE, uncovering what he said was, in some cases, “fraud and waste” in federal spending. “You look at a specific line item [for] $20 million. You’re like, ‘OK, what is this money going to?’ And for the majority of payment systems, it’s like, ‘Well, we don’t really know,’” he said.
It’s not clear whether Coristine was specifically targeted in the attack.
Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly called for a federal government “takeover” of D.C., a historically Democratic stronghold. In February, he warned the local government wasn’t handling the homeless problem and suggested he could “make it absolutely flawlessly beautiful” under federal governance.
