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Last week, Donald Trump took federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed hundreds of National Guard troops across the city to further the crackdown on crime.
US President Donald Trump | Reuters Image
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he will join the police and National Guard troops he has deployed to the US capital to patrol the streets of Washington amid a federal crackdown on crime.
In an interview with Todd Starnes, a host for right-wing media outlet Newsmax, the US President said, “I’m going to be going out tonight with the police and with the military, of course…… We’re going to be doing a job.”
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“The National Guard is great. They’ve done a fantastic job,” he added.
Trump’s remarks came a day after Vice President JD Vance, was greeted by boos and shouts of “Free DC” — referring to the District of Columbia, the federal district which includes Washington — on his own meet-and-greet with troops deployed in the city.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration began surging federal law enforcement across parts of the capital city to crack down on what the White House said was an unacceptable level of crime, despite statistics showing violent crime has declined in the city.
Last week, Trump took federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed hundreds of National Guard troops across the city to further the crackdown on crime.
The National Guard has mobilised 800 troops for the mission, while Republican states Ohio, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia are sending a total of around 1,200 more, news agency AFP reported.
The deployment of troops in Washington comes after Trump dispatched the National Guard and Marines to quell unrest in Los Angeles, California, that was sparked by immigration enforcement raids.
White House officials have said that there had been more than 600 total arrests made since federal officers were deployed around the city on August 7. Of those, 251 were arrests of immigrants in the country illegally, the White House said.
The overwhelmingly Democratic US capital faces allegations from Republican politicians that it is overrun by crime, plagued by homelessness and financially mismanaged. But data from Washington police showed significant drops in violent crime between 2023 and 2024, though that was coming off the back of a post-pandemic surge.
(With inputs from agencies)
About the Author
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben…Read More
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben… Read More
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Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
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