Trump Federalizes D.C. Police and Deploys National Guard in Historic, Dangerous Move

On August 11, 2025, President Donald Trump invoked a rarely used provision of the 1973 Home Rule Act to seize temporary control of Washington D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and mobilize the D.C. National Guard. The presidential memorandum, titled “Restoring Law and Order in the District of Columbia,” marks the first time a president has used Section 740 of the Act to federalize the city’s police force.

What the Order Does

The memorandum directs:

• Immediate deployment of the D.C. National Guard.

• Temporary use of MPD “for federal purposes” under Section 740.

• Authority for the Department of Defense to coordinate with governors to bring in additional Guard forces.

Under the law, the president can federalize MPD for up to 48 hours without congressional notification, extend it to 30 days with notification, and only go beyond that if Congress passes legislation.

Mayor Muriel Bowser did not request the deployment. Trump acted unilaterally, citing “lawlessness” in the capital.

Mayor and Council Push Back

Bowser labeled the move “unsettling and unprecedented,” while pledging to comply with the law. She emphasized that MPD’s chain of command remains intact, with Chief Pamela Smith still leading the department’s 3,100 officers.

“The home rule charter requires the mayor to provide the services of MPD during special conditions of an emergency, and we will follow the law—though there is a question about the subjectivity of that declaration,” Bowser said.

The D.C. Council issued a statement calling the deployment “a manufactured intrusion on local authority” and “an unnecessary deployment with no real mission.”

Crime Rates Contradict Trump’s Claims

Despite Trump’s portrayal of D.C. as unsafe, official MPD data shows violent crime is down roughly 26% so far in 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Last year’s violent crime rate was the lowest in more than 30 years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.

Past Trump-Era Guard Deployments in D.C.

This is Trump’s first use of the Home Rule Act to take direct control of MPD, but his presidency has included other high-profile Guard deployments:

• June 2020 George Floyd Protests — Bowser requested an unarmed contingent of D.C. Guard but opposed bringing in troops from other states. Trump deployed roughly 1,300 D.C. Guard and 3,900 out-of-state Guard members. Bowser later demanded their withdrawal, saying the federal presence inflamed tensions.

• January 6, 2021 Capitol Attack — Despite Bowser’s December 31, 2020 written request for Guard support, full activation was delayed until 3:04 p.m. that day. Investigations later concluded Trump was not part of the decision-making and that the Secretary of Defense issued the activation order.

Political and Legal Fallout

The August 2025 order is legal under the Home Rule Act in the short term, but it sets a precedent for direct presidential intervention in D.C.’s policing, undermining local autonomy and fueling calls for D.C. statehood.

Unless extended by Congress, the takeover will expire after 30 days—though the political and constitutional debate it has sparked is likely to continue well beyond that.