President Donald Trump on Sunday pledged to remove homeless people from Washington, D.C., and rapidly incarcerate criminals, vowing to restore safety and cleanliness to the nation’s capital. “I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before,” Trump said on Truth Social. “We want our Capital BACK.”
“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital,” he wrote. “The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong. It’s all going to happen very fast, just like the Border. This will be easier — Be prepared! There will be no ‘MR. NICE GUY.’” Trump said further details would be announced at a Monday news conference.
His remarks followed outrage over a violent assault on Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old former staffer at the Department of Government Efficiency, now with the Social Security Administration. Police said Coristine was attacked around 3 a.m. last Sunday by about 10 juveniles while intervening in an apparent carjacking. Two suspects were arrested, and a $10,000 reward is being offered for information on the others. Trump posted a photo showing Coristine bloodied after the incident near DuPont Circle.
Last Thursday, Trump announced plans to deploy federal law enforcement throughout D.C. to combat crime. The city, governed under the 1973 Home Rule Act, retains local authority through its mayor and council, but Congress can review and overturn its laws. Some Republicans have suggested a federal takeover to address crime.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a supporter of the city’s autonomy, said the District will cooperate with federal law enforcement. Speaking on MSNBC’s “The Weekend,” Bowser said, “I suspect that his announcement is that he is surging federal law enforcement and he may talk about even larger numbers or longer periods of time. He’s interested in being in neighborhoods, fighting crime in neighborhoods. We are not experiencing a crime spike.”
Despite differences, Bowser has maintained working ties with Trump, meeting him at Mar-a-Lago last year and privately expressing support for making the city safer and cleaner. Metropolitan Police Department data shows violent crime is down 26% from last year, homicides are down 12%, and overall crime has decreased 7%. Violent crime in 2024 dropped 35% from 2023.
However, D.C. still ranks among the highest in U.S. homicide rates, placing fourth in 2023, according to USA Facts. White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller told reporters last week, “It is our capital city. It is more violent than Baghdad. It is more violent than parts of Ethiopia, than parts of many of the most dangerous places in the world.”
