Despite being up in arms after President Donald Trump ‘overstepped’ and federalized the local police on Monday, Washington, DC residents admit that crime is a problem.
They just don’t think Trump’s takeover is the solution.
The president announced Monday that Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will now be under the control of Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice (DOJ).
In addition, 800 National Guard troops will be deployed in the district to, in Trump’s words, ‘rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.’ The forces are expected to appear in town this week and work on shifts to defend the capital around the clock.
In over half a dozen interviews with DC locals, most expressed skepticism over the White House‘s new initiative while simultaneously telling the Daily Mail that additional resources could help crack down on crime.
‘I think it might be an overreaction,’ Carson, a young man in his early twenties who just moved to DC, told the Daily Mail. ‘I don’t think you need like FBI agents to stop violent crime around.’
‘Their presence is good if the DC police need assistance … but I don’t think they need to really take over,’ another resident said of the troop deployments. ‘I’ve been robbed and everything, but that doesn’t mean that we need the National Guard.’
While many criticized Trump’s move as an overreach, some grudgingly shared that there are challenges facing the city.
President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the Department of Justice will take control of the Washington, DC police force
People protest US President Donald Trump’s decision to federalize the DC police force, as well as to deploy 800 National Guard members, in Washington, DC, USA, 11 August 2025
President Donald Trump shared an image of Edward Coristine, known by the nickname ‘Big Balls,’ after he was bloodied up in an attempted early morning carjacking on August 3, off the popular 14th Street corridor in Washington, DC
Federal agents patrol a street in The Warf waterfront neighborhood in Washington
Jacqueline Turner, a great-grandmother, told the Daily Mail that young people are ‘getting kind of outrageous’ and sided with Trump on parents being held accountable for their naughty children’s bad behavior.
‘The young people figure they can do what they want and they’re not going to be punished. And that’s not right … Maybe their parents ought to be persecuted, or … penalized if they can’t control their children and raise them decently,’ the great-grandmother told the Daily Mail.
Mobs of kids in their teens have frequently shown up in popular shopping and dining areas around DC, including the neighborhoods around Navy Yard, the Wharf and downtown, according to local reports.
Still, Jacqueline called Trump’s move to bring in the National Guard ‘ridiculous.’
‘He wants to take control of DC,’ John, another resident, said. ‘Crime has been down as far as I know.’
MPD statistics do show that violent crime is down year over year, but many locals still fret over high-profile incidents, like the recent fatal shooting of a congressional intern, a tragedy the president has spoken about.
‘Of course, you’re going to take precautionary measures,’ John added. ‘You’re going to make sure that you’re vigilant about where you’re walking.’
Recently, a high-profile former DOGE employee nicknamed ‘Big Balls’ was mugged in DC while out on the town.
A general view of a homeless encampment at Washington Circle, on Pennsylvania Avenue
Protestors took to the streets outside the White House to push back on the new policy
Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department will now be overseen by the DOJ, Trump says
Federal law enforcement was spotted around the city on Monday night
The assailants severely beat the ex-DOGE aide leaving him bloodied, according to reports. Trump said he was lucky to be alive, but it didn’t move residents to support Trump’s action.
‘He’s using that as this catalyst to militarize DC, which is insanity to me,’ Tim, a DC resident of 15 years, told the Daily Mail.
He called Trump’s decision to federalize MPD and deploy the National Guard an ‘insane overreach.’
‘It’s completely unnecessary. It’s on something that is completely baseless,’ Tim added.
Others understood the president’s perspective.
‘He’s doing what he feels like he needs to do, but I don’t think he’s in DC enough to actually know exactly what’s going on in our city,’ Daniel shared. ‘Have I heard gunshots? Yes,’ he continued. ‘Have I seen someone like get assaulted? No. Have I seen people get in fights? Yes. Do I feel safe here? 100 percent sure.’
But another man named, Rey, offered: ‘It’s never bad to send more enforcement to help a city that’s in need.’
It’s not much of a surprise Trump’s policing initiative fell flat with Washington residents. He won just 5 percent of the vote in the District of Columbia in 2024.
