Trump’s Unprecedented Takeover of D.C. Police and National Guard Deployment Faces Scrutiny

On August 11, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum titled “Restoring Law and Order in the District of Columbia,” marking the first time in history that a U.S. president has used the Home Rule Act to take direct control of Washington D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) while simultaneously mobilizing the D.C. National Guard. The move bypasses the city’s elected leadership and grants temporary federal authority over local law enforcement.

The Order’s Scope and Legal Authority

The memorandum directs the D.C. National Guard to deploy immediately and places MPD at the temporary disposal of the federal government for “federal purposes” under Section 740 of the Home Rule Act. It also authorizes the Department of Defense to coordinate with governors to bring in additional Guard forces if necessary.

Under the law, the president’s control of MPD can last up to 48 hours without congressional notification, and up to 30 days with notification to Congress. Any longer period requires formal legislative approval.

Mayor Muriel Bowser did not request the deployment. Instead, Trump acted unilaterally, leveraging his constitutional role as commander in chief of the D.C. National Guard and statutory authority under the Home Rule Act.

Mayor’s Response and Local Reaction

Bowser sharply criticized the action, calling it “unsettling and unprecedented.” While acknowledging the city’s legal obligation to comply, she insisted the MPD’s organizational structure remains intact.

“Chief Pamela Smith is the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, and its 3,100 members work under her direction,” Bowser said. “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.”

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

Crime Trends Undercut Federal Narrative

Trump justified the move by portraying the nation’s capital as gripped by “lawlessness.” However, official MPD data shows the opposite trend—violent crime in D.C. is down roughly 26% year-to-date compared to 2024. Last year’s violent crime rate was the lowest in more than three decades, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.

Critics argue the president’s framing does not align with current public safety statistics, raising questions about the true motivation behind the takeover.

Historical Context: Trump’s Prior Use of the Guard in D.C.

While this is Trump’s first use of Section 740 of the Home Rule Act, his presidency has seen other extraordinary deployments of the D.C. National Guard.

• June 2020 – George Floyd Protests: Roughly 1,300 D.C. Guard members and 3,900 out-of-state Guard troops were deployed. Bowser initially requested an unarmed contingent of D.C. Guard but explicitly opposed bringing in forces from other states. On June 4, 2020, she formally requested their withdrawal, citing that the federal presence was “inflaming demonstrators.”

• January 6, 2021 – U.S. Capitol Attack: Despite a December 31, 2020 request from Bowser for Guard support, full activation was delayed until 3:04 p.m. on January 6. Investigations have since confirmed that Trump was not part of the decision-making process that day. The Secretary of Defense—not the president—issued the activation order.

  
  

Unprecedented and Unresolved

Trump’s August 2025 order represents a first-of-its-kind intervention into D.C.’s local law enforcement, combining both military and policing functions under federal control. While legally permitted in the short term, it has ignited fierce debate over the boundaries of presidential power, the meaning of “emergency” in the nation’s capital, and the ongoing fight for D.C. statehood.

With violent crime already trending downward, the long-term necessity and effectiveness of the move remain in question. Unless extended by Congress, the federalization will expire after 30 days—but its political and constitutional implications may last far longer.