President Trump announced he is invoking the D.C. Home Rule Act to place the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and deploy the National Guard. Trump called it “Liberation Day in D.C.” “We’re going to take our capital back,” Trump said. Check it out: President Trump announces he is invoking the D.C. Home Rule Act to place the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and deploy the National Guard. "This is Liberation Day in D.C. — and we're going to take our capital BACK." pic.twitter.com/aqov60mrCW — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 11, 2025 “Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today! Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN,” Trump said. "Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today! Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN… Thank you for your attention to this matter." – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/ymFYPsxUYI — The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 11, 2025 ” I determine that special conditions of an emergency nature exist that require the use of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (Metropolitan Police force) for Federal purposes, including maintaining law and order in the Nation’s seat of Government; protecting Federal buildings, national monuments, and other Federal property; and ensuring conditions necessary for the orderly functioning of the Federal Government,” an executive order declaring a crime emergency in the District of Columbia read. “Effective immediately, the Mayor of the District of Columbia (Mayor) shall provide the services of the Metropolitan Police force for Federal purposes for the maximum period permitted under section 740 of the Home Rule Act,” it continued. “Let me be crystal clear: crime in D.C. is ending and ending today. We are going to use every power we have to fight criminals here. Mr. President, thank you for caring about our Capital,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. .@AGPamBondi: "Let me be crystal clear: crime in D.C. is ending and ending TODAY. We are going to use every power we have to fight criminals here. Mr. President, thank you for caring about our Capital." pic.twitter.com/SpL6TzASr5 — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 11, 2025 More from The Guardian: Donald Trump invoked section 740, of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, placing the DC Metropolitan police department under federal control, deploying the national guard while describing a “lawless” city in ways that are sharply at odds with crime statistics reported by the police. The president vowed to allow police to “do whatever the h*** they want” in the face of provocations. “That’s the only language they understand. “They like to spit in the face of the police,” Trump said. “You spit, and we hit, and they get hit real hard.” The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said national guard units would take to the streets over the coming week. “They will be strong, they will be tough and they will stand with their law enforcement partners,” he said. Trump’s invocation of Section 740 requires Mayor Muriel Bowser to provide “such services of the Metropolitan Police force as the President may deem necessary and appropriate”, when the president determines that there are “special conditions” requiring it. The president can only exercise such control under the Act for 30 days without Congress passing a law extending it. Trump is reportedly considering deploying up to 1,000 National Guard troops in the nation’s capital. REPORT: President Trump Prepares to Deploy 1,000 National Guard Members to Washington, DC! The Trump administration highlighted murder statistics in Washington D.C. compared to other capital cities around the world. The murder rate in Washington, D.C. today is greater than Bogota, Mexico City, and more ⬇ MAKE D.C. SAFE AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/0L9SVfY1KG — The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 11, 2025 MAKE D.C. SAFE AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/q45fgZR36E — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 11, 2025 Fox News noted: President Donald Trump claimed crimes in Washington, D.C., trounce data from notoriously violent cities in nations such as Mexico and Colombia during his Monday morning press conference announcing he is federalizing the D.C. police department to curb spiraling violence. "The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogota, Colombia, Mexico City, some of the places that you hear about as being the worst places on Earth, much higher," Trump said Monday. "This is much higher. The number of car thefts has doubled over the past five years, and the number of carjackings has more than tripled. Murders in 2023 reached the highest rate, probably ever. They say 25 years, but they don't know what that means because it just goes back 25 years can't be worse." Trump whipped out charts showing the media that the nation's capital allegedly suffers worse crime trends than other cities worldwide, calling on them to "take a look at numbers" as he rattled off the data's findings. "Look at these. Baghdad is … we doubled up on Baghdad. Panama City, Brasilia, San Jose, Costa Rica, Bogota, Colombia. Heavy drugs. Mexico City, I mentioned Lima, Peru, all double and triple what they are. So do you want to live in places like that? I don't think so. I don't think so. And I think the people in this room, if you wrote correctly, you'd see. Look at the kind of numbers we have. D.C. 41 per 100,000 (for homicides in 2023). Number one that we can find anywhere in the world. Other cities are pretty bad, but they're not as bad as that. That the way you want to live? The reporters of the world? Juvenile offenders and crimes against persons as they say, it's getting worse, not getting better. It's getting worse," he continued. Read the full executive order HERE.