President Donald Trump has placed the police of Washington DC under federal control and announced the deployment of the National Guard to the capital, citing crime that he described as 'out of control'. However, official data shows crime numbers in the city have declined significantly, including violent crime.
The move is widely seen as an attempt to divert attention from the Jeffrey Epstein case, which has dominated headlines in recent weeks. This follows a pattern of controversial actions by Trump, including demands to rename the Washington Redskins and calls to prosecute former President Barack Obama.
Observers note that the cities targeted by Trump, such as Baltimore, DC, and Oakland, are predominantly Black or multiracial. In his 2024 campaign, Trump referred to Philadelphia as 'ravaged by bloodshed' and compared Detroit to a developing country. His response to the 1989 Central Park Five case involved calling for the execution of the teenagers, who were later exonerated.
The deployment also aligns with Trump's broader authoritarian agenda, which includes transforming the US into a 'deportation state' centred on the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Critics argue this concentrates the monopoly of violence in the hands of the president.
