Trump deploys National Guard to curb DC crime

President unveils steps to tackle homelessness and crime in Washington

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President Donald Trump announced he would take control of Washington DC’s Metropolitan Police Department and deploy the National Guard as part of a push to reduce crime and homelessness in the nation’s capital.

“Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people,” Trump said yesterday at a White House press conference.

“And we’re not going to let it happen anymore.”

The National Guard unit is expected to assist with logistics, transportation, and other tasks, with an eye toward freeing up more local police to make arrests.

That’s similar to Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles earlier this year to assist federal immigration officials carrying out raids. The move was made over the wishes of California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, and prompted days of protests.

Decades-old law