What happened
President Donald Trump Monday announced a temporary federal takeover of Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department and the deployment of 800 National Guard troops to tackle what he called a "situation of complete and total lawlessness" in the capital. D.C Mayor Muriel Bowser called Trump's assumption of emergency powers "unsettling and unprecedented."
Who said what
Trump's federalization of D.C.'s police and the National Guard deployment are an "extraordinary flex of federal power" that "stripped" city leaders of their ability to direct law enforcement and could "expose" Washingtonians to "unpredictable encounters with a domestically deployed military force," The Washington Post said. This wielding of "executive authority in ways with little precedent in modern U.S. history and in defiance of political norms" is "emblematic" of Trump's "second-term approach" to governing, Reuters said.
Trump's "dystopian picture" of a capital city "overrun by violent crime and anarchy" stands "in sharp contrast to official figures" showing violent crime there is "at a 30-year-low," The New York Times said, and many Washington residents are "unlikely to recognize" his depiction.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, standing alongside Trump Monday, "signaled that more National Guard troops could be roped into the deployment down the line," said Fox News. The Army said the Guard members deployed to D.C. would participate in an "array of tasks," including "administrative, logistics and physical presence in support of law enforcement."
What next?
The "previously unused provision" of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act that Trump activated allows him to "take over Washington's police department for up to 30 days if he notifies certain heads of congressional committees," Politico said. Trump also "threatened to expand his efforts to other cities, including Chicago, if they did not deal with crime rates he claimed were 'out of control,'" the Times said. But his "authority to intervene elsewhere would be more limited."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Political cartoons for November 8Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include narco boats, and the new Lincoln monument
-
Why Trump pardoned crypto criminal Changpeng ZhaoIn the Spotlight Binance founder’s tactical pardon shows recklessness is rewarded by the Trump White House
-
Sudoku medium: November 8, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
‘This is where adaptation enters’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump ordered to fully fund SNAPSpeed Read The Justice Department is appealing the decision
-
Trump tariffs face stiff scrutiny at Supreme CourtSpeed Read Even some of the Court’s conservative justices appeared skeptical
-
The longest US government shutdown in historyThe Explainer Federal employees and low-income households have been particularly affected by ‘partisan standoffs’ in Washington
-
Democrats seek 2026 inspiration from special election routsIN THE SPOTLIGHT High-profile wins are helping a party demoralized by Trump’s reelection regain momentum
-
‘Not all news is bad’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
A most profitable presidencyfeature Donald Trump has added $3 billion to his wealth since returning to the White House. How?
-
Trump to partly fund SNAP as shutdown talks progressSpeed Read The administration has said it will cover about 50% of benefits
