Trump has deployed troops to Washington and assumed control of the police. What the media is writing

US President Donald Trump has announced the deployment of National Guard troops to Washington and the assumption of police control functions in the city. He stated that the crime rate was extremely high, although statistics show a decrease in recent years. Trump became the first head of state to exercise such powers in the District of Columbia. What the media write about the incident is in the Izvestia digest.

Reuters: Trump deployed the National Guard in Washington

Trump said on Monday that he had sent 800 National Guard soldiers to Washington and temporarily took control of the city's police. This move, which ignores the local elected government, reflects Trump's approach, which uses executive power on a scale that was unthinkable in modern US history, and contrary to political norms. Trump said that these measures are necessary in order to "save" the capital from the alleged arbitrariness of criminals.

Amid statements about the growing level of violence in Washington, Trump is intensifying his rhetoric, hinting at the possibility of full federal control over the city, which prompted Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser to react. She rejected Trump's accusations of widespread violence, stressing that in 2023 the crime rate was at its lowest level in the last 30 years. Bowser expressed her willingness to cooperate with the federal government, despite ongoing disagreements over the assessment of the situation in the city.

NBC News: Trump has deployed troops amid a drop in crime

Police and military experts said they were puzzled by Trump's decision to take control of the Metropolitan Police Department and use the National Guard to help fight crime in Washington. They note that the crime rate in the country's capital is at its lowest level in recent decades. In early January, federal prosecutors in Washington released a press bulletin headlined "Violent crime rate in D.C. reaches 30-year low." Since then, it has dropped by 26%, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

This weekend, about 120 FBI agents, mostly from the Washington office, worked in shifts with the Metropolitan Police Department. However, the agents did not understand exactly what role they were performing on the streets and to whom they were reporting at any given time. The patrol cars are followed by unmarked federal law enforcement vehicles to provide support if necessary. Some agents called such efforts a waste of resources, and one jokingly called these processions "federal funerals."

Associated Press: How legitimate are Trump's actions

Trump took command of the police and deployed the National Guard in accordance with laws and constitutional powers that give the federal government more influence in the nation's capital than in other cities. This measure still leaves significant powers to the President and Congress, although no head of State has previously exercised police powers. The Constitution provides for the creation of the District of Columbia, which will serve as the federal center of government under the jurisdiction of Congress, and not any state.

Section 740 of the Home Rule Act allows the President to take control of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department for 48 hours, with a possible extension of up to 30 days in case of emergencies. No president has ever done this before. It is unclear how long the deployment will last and what exactly it will mean. In addition, it can be challenged in court. Congress still has authority over issues such as the budget and laws passed by the city council, but it will have to repeal the Home Rule Act in order to expand federal powers in the district.

CNN: Trump decided to take control of Washington because of the homeless

The decision to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department and recruit hundreds of National Guard soldiers came as Trump painted a dystopian portrait of the District of Columbia, which his allies say was shaped by the president's frustration with periodic reports of crime and homelessness. Urban statistics show a steady long-term decline in the number of violent crimes, although public perceptions of crime often do not match real data.

Trump has long paid attention to issues of crime and cleanliness in the District of Columbia and other cities, periodically entering into disputes with Democratic mayors during his first term. This situation has escalated since his return to office, after campaign promises to establish law and order, and also, according to some allies, due to the fact that Trump plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in Washington next year.

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The New York Times: Trump tries on the role of Washington mayor

On Monday, Trump, flanked by the Secretary of Defense and the country's top law enforcement official (Attorney General Pam Bondi — Ed.), sought to demonstrate an image of brute force by announcing his plans to send National Guard troops to the nation's capital and establish federal control over its police department. He also sounded as if he wanted to get not only his current position, but also the post of mayor of Washington.

Trump's sudden interest in local crime statistics is not new. He has campaigned for decades against images of urban ruins and decay, often calling on law enforcement agencies to take harsh measures. In the late 1980s, as a budding Manhattan real estate developer, he took advantage of the rape and beating of a woman in Central Park by placing an advertisement calling for the death penalty, which attracted a lot of media attention. He has long viewed crime as a political tool, having addressed it during the election campaign last year.