BALTIMORE — President Donald Trump on Monday invoked the federal Home Rule Act to seize control of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
During a more than hour's long news conference, Trump cited the local D.C. government's "failure to maintain public order and safety" as reasoning for the takeover.
"The local government of the District of Columbia has lost control of public order and safety in the city, as evidenced by the two embassy staffers who were murdered in May, the Congressional intern who was fatally shot a short distance from the White House in June, and the Administration staffer who was mercilessly beaten by a violent mob days ago," a readout from the White House states.
They add that D.C. "now has a higher violent crime, murder, and robbery rate than all 50 States."
Despite D.C. leadership taking credit for an overall reduction in violence, the Administration countered with 2024 numbers showing a homicide rate of 27.54 per every 100,000 residents.
The nation's capital also experienced 842.4 vehicle thefts per capita.
"The District of Columbia is, by some measures, among the top 20 percent of the most dangerous cities in the world," says the White House.
Here's a piece of what Trump's latest executive order states.
"I determine that special conditions of an emergency nature exist that require the use of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (Metropolitan Police force) for Federal purposes, including maintaining law and order in the Nation's seat of Government; protecting Federal buildings, national monuments, and other Federal property; and ensuring conditions necessary for the orderly functioning of the Federal Government. Effective immediately, the Mayor of the District of Columbia shall provide the services of the Metropolitan Police force for Federal purposes for the maximum period permitted under section 740 of the Home Rule Act."
MORE: Trump places DC police under federal control, activates National Guard amid crime concerns
While explaining his actions, Trump as he often does brought up the crime rate in several other American cities, including Baltimore.
"You have of course, Baltimore and Oakland, you don't even mention that anymore they're so far gone."
Governor Wes Moore issued a statement of his own after Trump's announcement, calling the move "deeply dangerous."
“If the president wants to have a serious conversation about how to reduce violent crime, he should look at what we’ve been able to do in Maryland," said Moore.
WMAR-2 News recently highlighted how Baltimore homicides in 2025 are down more than 24 percent from this time last year, with non-fatal shootings also 18 percent lower.
While those numbers do ring true, U.S. News & World Report, last month listed Baltimore as the fourth most dangerous place to live behind Memphis, Tennessee, Oakland, California, and St. Louis Missouri.
The publication's rankings were based on FBI data tracking the number of murders and property crime per 100,000 city residents.
Baltimore also ranked third highest on Numbeo’s mid-year 2025 Crime Index trailing only Memphis and Detroit, Michigan.
As for the fate of the Nation's Capital, Maryland's Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen vowed to reintroduce legislation that would grant local leaders full control over the D.C. National Guard and the Metropolitan Police Department when Congress reconvenes in September.
Since Republicans have a majority in both chambers of Congress, the bill is all but certain to fail.
In the meantime, Van Hollen said he would also continue to push for D.C. statehood, another unlikely outcome.
This is not just about self-governance for D.C. – it’s also about preventing authoritarian overreach by a lawless president like we are witnessing today,” said Van Hollen.
