Trump declares 'liberation day' for DC as he federalizes capital police force

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb condemned President Donald Trump's takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department on Monday.

Schwalb argued that the law Trump used to take over the police force should not apply, due to there being no crime emergency in the nation's capital in his view.

"The Administration’s actions are unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful," Schwalb wrote on X. "There is no crime emergency in the District of Columbia. Violent crime in DC reached historic 30-year lows last year, and is down another 26% so far this year."

"We are considering all of our options and will do what is necessary to protect the rights and safety of District residents," he continued.

Trump federalized the MPD under the Home Rule Act, which allows the president to take over the force for a up to 30 days if certain Congressional Committees are notified.

President Donald Trump predicted that "land swapping" would likely play a role in any potential peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine on Monday.

Trump made the statement during a press conference ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for appearing unwilling to agree to such a swap.

"I was a little, bothered by the fact that Zelensky was saying, well, I have to get constitutional approval," Trump said, adding that he knows "through Russia" that "there will be some swapping."

We're going to change the lines. The battle lines. Russia's occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They've occupied some very prime territory. We're going to try and get some of that territory back for Ukraine. But they've taken some very prime territory," Trump said, noting in particular Russia's occupation of much of Ukraine's coast.

President Donald Trump suggested that he will know within the first two minutes of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin whether a deal can be made to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump made the claim during a wide-ranging press conference at the White House on Monday. Trump also said he would be speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as European leaders ahead of the meeting.

"We're going to have a meeting with Vladimir Putin. And at the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I'll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made," Trump said.

"I go into that thing fully loaded right up there, and we're going to see what happens. Now, I think one of two things is going to happen. It could be a good meeting, and we'll go a step further. We'll get it done. I'd like to see a ceasefire very, very quickly, very quick. I'd like to see it immediately, but I'd like to see it very quickly. And, we're going to be dealing with the European leaders and, we're going to be dealing with President Zelensky and hopefully we're going to have a great success," he added.

President Donald Trump put Chicago and New York City on notice Monday as he declared a federal takeover of Washington's police force to crack down on crime.

Trump and several of his top cabinet officials lamented the state of the nation's capital, with "young punks" committing violent crimes and homelessness visible on nearly every street. He then called out Chicago and New York City, saying he may intervene there as well if they don't address their own crime and homelessness issues.

"I'm going to look at New York in a little while. Let's do this. Let's do this together. Let's see. It's going to go pretty quickly," Trump said.

"And if we need to, we're going to do the same thing in Chicago, which is a disaster. We have a mayor there who is totally incompetent. He's an incompetent man. And we have an incompetent governor there. [J.B.] Pritzker's an incompetent. His family threw him out of the business, and he ran for governor. And now I understand he wants to be president, but I noticed he lost a little weight. So maybe he has a chance. You know, you never know what happens," he continued.

Trump's threat comes as New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani has centered his campaign around opposition to Trump.

U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro vowed that criminals in the nation's capital are "not going to get away with it anymore" as President Trump administration announced a crime crackdown.

Pirro called out "young punks" for committing violent crimes across the city and making Americans fear to bring their families to experience the history of the nation's capital.

"I see too much violent crime being committed by young punks who think that they can get together in gangs and crews and beat the hell out of you or anyone else. They don't care where they are. They can be in Dupont Circle, but they know that we can't touch them," Pirro said, going on to blame "weak" laws.

"I can't touch you if you're 14, 15, 16, 17 years old and you have a gun. I convict someone of shooting another person with an illegal gun on a public bus, in the chest, with intent to kill. I convict him. You know what the judge gives him? Probation. Says you should go to college," she added.

Pirro went on to say the federal government needs to "go after" the D.C. city council and end its "absurd laws."

DEA Administrator Terry Cole stands on the day President Donald Trump signs the HALT Fentanyl Act, in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., July 16, 2025. (REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

President Donald Trump announced his picks to lead reform after federalizing Washington, D.C.'s police force on Monday.

Trump said Attorney General Pam Bondi will command the Metropolitan Police Department, and Terry Cole will serve as interim D.C. police commissioner. Cole has been serving as head of the Drug Enforcement Agency since his swearing-in ceremony last month.

"Our new DEA administrator, who is one of the top in the country. He better be, Terry, if you're not I'm going to get rid of you so fast, Terry Cole," Trump said. "We just just got him, the most highly recommended person. And, you'll be designated as the interim federal commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department. Okay? And you run them tough. They're good. You have a lot of good people. You have people that should be there. You also have people that shouldn't be there."

President Donald Trump rejected claims that more police are needed to effectively keep the peace in the nation's capital on Monday.

Trump, announcing the federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department, said he'd heard complaints of a lack of staffing among the police force, but argued the problem was with leadership, not with numbers.

"I was told today, sir, they want more police. I heard a number, 3,500 police. That's a lot of police, 3,500. I thought they're going to say we only have 30 policemen or women. They said we have 3500. We need more. You don't need more. That's so many I never heard. That's like an army," Trump said.

"How could you need more than three thousand? It just happened two minutes ago, sir. They've requested more police. What do they have? About 3,500. I said 3,500--this is not a big area. It's ridiculous. What you need is rules and regulations, and you need the right people to implement them. And we have the right people here that I can tell you," Trump added.

Trump spoke alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials. The president installed Terry Cole as interim D.C. police commissioner on Monday. Cole has served as the administrator for the Drug Enforcement Agency since his swearing-in in July.

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 11: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House August 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump announced he will use his authority to place the DC Metropolitan Police Department under federal control to assist in crime prevention in the nation’s capital. Also pictured (L-R) are Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump pointed to no-cash bail as a major source of crime problems in Washington, D.C. on Monday.

Trump made the statement during his press conference announcing the federal takeover of the capital's police force, saying cashless bail is a root of lawlessness from Chicago to New York City.

"This dire public safety crisis stems directly from the abject failures of the city's local leadership. The radical left City Council adopted no cash bail," Trump said. "Every place in the country where you have no cash bail is a disaster. That's what started the problem in New York. And they don't change it. They don't want to change it. That's what started it in Chicago. I mean, bad politicians started it, bad leadership, started it. But that was the one thing that's central. No-cash bail. Somebody murders somebody and they're out on no-cash bail before the day is out."

Trump went on to say the state of America's capital is embarrassing for him as the head of state, referencing his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President Donald Trump  is weighing whether to deploy up to 1,000 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., as early as this week, Fox News has learned, in an effort to help deal with what he characterized as a surge in violent crime. 

The plans come just one day after Trump vowed on Truth Social to evict homeless persons from that nation's capital. "The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY," Trump said on social media. "We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong."

Trump's plans, which are expected to be detailed further at a 10 a.m. press conference Monday, would likely involve members of the D.C. National Guard, or the 2,700-member National Guard force that acts at the express authority of the commander in chief.

Unlike other branches, Trump would not have to get the sign off of local authorities to act — likely making their activation a tempting option.

When speaking to reporters in the Oval Office last week, Trump railed against what he described as a "ridiculous" level of crime in the nation's capital, buffeted most recently by the assault on a former DOGE staffer earlier this month.

Trump also told reporters that his White House lawyers are looking into ending the Home Rule Act, a law passed by Congress in 1973 that gave Washington, D.C., residents the right to elect their own mayor and local representatives. 

Trump is expected to address those plans in a press conference Monday morning. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Digital's politics team

President Donald Trump has directed federal law enforcement to increase its presence throughout Washington, D.C. amid his efforts to crack down on crime in the city.

The operation, which uses both local and federal law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, DEA and others, began August 7 and will initially last for seven days with the option to extend "as needed."

In a statement to Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced "there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C."

"Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long," Leavitt said. "President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C."

She added, "President Trump is committed to making our Nation’s capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Peter Pinedo

Authorities announced the arrest of two teens in connection with the brutal beating of a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last week, an incident that drew President Donald Trump's attention to the crime and homelessness in the nation's capital.

The victim, Edward Coristine, nicknamed "Big Balls," was assaulted around 3:00 a.m. August 4 by a group of teenagers in the city’s Logan Circle neighborhood. The teens attempted to carjack him and a woman, whom police identified as his significant other, according to authorities.

Police said Coristine pushed the woman into the vehicle for safety and turned to confront the group. At least several of the teens then attacked him, police said, until officers patrolling nearby intervened. As officers moved toward the group, the teens fled on foot.

Coristine, one of the most visible figures of President Donald Trump’s DOGE, was left bloodied in the attack, according to a photo the president shared on his Truth Social platform.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Stephen Sorace

President Donald Trump is considering the deployment of up to 1,000 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. as part of his plan to clean up the nation's capital, Fox News has learned.

The troops would most likely be called up from the D.C. National Guard, a U.S. official told Fox. Trump is expected to announce concrete plans during a press conference at the White House scheduled for 10 am Monday.

Trump said on social media on Sunday that the news conference on crime and "beautification" will "not only involve ending the Crime, Murder, and Death in our Nation’s Capital, but will also be about Cleanliness and the General Physical Renovation and Condition of our once beautiful and well maintained Capital."

Trump described D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser – who publicly clashed with Trump during the George Floyd riots in 2020 – "a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the Crime Numbers get worse, and the City only gets dirtier and less attractive." 

Fox News' Liz Friden and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report

President Donald Trump vowed to rid Washington, D.C. of "crime, savagery, filth and scum" on Monday ahead of a planned press conference in the nation's capital.

Trump is expected to announce measures to combat crime and homelessness in the city, ranging from deploying federal law enforcement to taking direct control over the the city's government.

Trump may also deploy National Guard troops to patrol the city.

"Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today! Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN! The days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people, are OVER! I quickly fixed the Border (ZERO ILLEGALS in last 3 months!), D.C. is next!!! Thank you for your attention to this matter," Trump shared on Truth Social on Monday.