President Donald Trump said he is considering federal intervention in Washington, D.C., following an attack on a former member of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over the weekend.
“He went through a bad situation, to put it mildly, and there’s too much of it. We’re going to do something about it,” Trump said, according to NPR. He added that the intervention might involve activating the National Guard “maybe very quickly, too.”
Trump pointed to the city’s crime rate as a reason for possible federal oversight.
“I could show you a chart comparing D.C. to other locations, and you’re not going to want to see what it looks like,” he said, according to Fox News.
“We want to have a great, safe capital, and we’re going to have it. And that includes cleanliness. And it includes other things. We have a capital that’s very unsafe.”
Trump said he is exploring whether Congress could overturn the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, passed in the 1970s, which granted D.C. limited self-governance.
“We have to run D.C. This has to be the best-run place in the country, not the worst-run place in the country,” Trump added.
“And it has so much potential, and we’re going to take care of it. You’re going to be safe. You’re going to be safe walking down streets. You’re not going to get mugged.”
Trump’s comments come amid rising concerns over public safety in the nation’s capital, with some conservative leaders calling for increased federal oversight and accountability in high-crime areas.