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By Jason Lemon and Jesus Mesa
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President Donald Trump called out five cities across the United States as he discussed his decision to formally declare a public safety emergency in Washington, D.C., triggering a federal takeover of the city's police department.
Trump's remarks insinuated that Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Oakland could face a similar effort from his administration, with the president saying the effort to address crime and homelessness in the U.S. would "go further" as he specifically named the cities.
Why It Matters
Speaking from the White House alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and other cabinet officials, Trump announced 800 National Guard troops will be sent to the capital to "reestablish law, order and public safety."
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He also invoked federal authority to take over the Metropolitan Police Department, citing "special conditions of an emergency nature" under the District of Columbia's Home Rule Act.
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What To Know
The move marks one of the most aggressive federal interventions in local law enforcement in recent history. While the president holds direct command over the D.C. National Guard, governors typically control Guard units in their own states.
Trump has signaled he may extend similar measures to other Democratic-led cities, naming Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Baltimore as potential targets for federal deployments.
"We have other cities also that are bad. Very bad," Trump said during the press conference on Monday. "You look at Chicago, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is. We have other cities that are very bad. New York has a problem. And then you have, of course, Baltimore and Oakland. We don't even mention that anymore there."
"They're so far gone. We're not going to let it happen. We're not going to lose our cities over this," he said.
Trump focused his speech on Washington, D.C., claiming its murder rate was higher than those of Bogotá, Colombia, and Mexico City, among other cities in the world.
The decision follows the August 3 assault on Edward "Big Balls" Coristine, a 19-year-old former staffer at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), who was attacked in the city's Logan Circle neighborhood during an alleged attempted carjacking around 3 a.m., police said.
The move comes even as city crime data shows a different trend: violent crime in the nation's capital dropped to a 30-year low in 2024 and has continued to fall this year. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, violent offenses fell 35 percent in 2024 and are down another 26 percent so far in 2025.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, at a Monday press conference at the White House: "This is liberation day in D.C., and we're going to take our Capitol back."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at the same event: "We will work alongside all D.C. police and federal law enforcement."
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott's in a statement sent to Newsweek on Monday: "This is the latest effort by the president to distract from the issues he should be focused on—including the roller coaster of the U.S. economy thanks to his policies. When it comes to public safety in Baltimore, he should turn off the right-wing propaganda and look at the facts. Baltimore is the safest it's been in over 50 years. Homicides are down 28% this year alone, reaching the lowest level of any year on record. We still have real work to do to build on this progress—but that work starts and ends here in Baltimore, with the local, state, and federal partners who have gotten us this far."
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser told MSNBC: "It is true that we had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023—this is 2025. We've achieved that by working with the community, the police, our prosecutors, and, in fact, the federal government."
What Happens Next
Trump also pledged a "beautification" campaign for D.C., including clearing homeless encampments, repairing streets, and adding amenities such as a White House ballroom.
Update 8/11/25, 12:38 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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