National guard arrives in DC as mayors warn of Trump power grab | Washington DC

About 850 officers and agents participated in a “massive law application” in Washington DC on Monday evening and carried out nearly two dozen arrests, the White House said.

The show of force intervened after Donald Trump announced that he was sending the National Guard to the capital and putting the city police under federal control, even if the rate of violent crimes is a hollow of 30 years.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists on Tuesday: “As part of the president’s massive police forces last night, around 850 officers and agents were jumped in the city. They made a total of 23 arrests, including several other contacts. ”

The arrests consisted of homicide, infection of firearms, in possession with the intention of distributing narcotics, an equitable escape, obscene acts and harassment, added Leavitt. “A total of six illegal handguns were seized from the streets of the Columbia district as part of last night’s efforts.”

Leavitt added: “This is only the beginning. During the next month, the Trump administration will continue and relentlessly stop all the violent criminals in the district that violate the law, undermines public security and endangers laws that respect the laws.”

Leavitt used to inform to assert that opinion polls show wide public support for the repression of crime and that Democrats and the media are disconnected.

In a bizarre interlude, the first question went to the host of Podcast Benny Johnson, who delivered a monologue on the crimes he had suffered during his 15 years as a resident of Washington DC. “To any journalist who says and ment that DC is a safe place to live and work, let me say this,” he said, looking at Leavitt, “thank you. Thank you for returning the city safe. “

Johnson followed by asking if Trump would plan to give the presidential medal of freedom to the “big balls”, the real name of which is Edward Coristine, a 19 -year -old software engineer, for his “heroic actions” during a car attempt in Washington last week. Leavitt replied: “I didn’t tell him about that, but it may be something he would consider.”

The press secretary also told journalists that the homeless people had the opportunity to be taken to a shelter for homeless and offered an addiction and / or mental health services. “If they refuse, they will be likely to bring or take prison terms. These are preexisting laws that are already in books. They were not applied. “

Trump’s intervention was largely condemned as an authoritarian takeover which undermines the autonomy of the local government of DC of Washington and seeks to distract the attention of political problems such as the files of Jeffrey Epstein.

Earlier, Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington DC, undertook to work “side by side” with the federal government while the troops of the National Guard arrived at their headquarters in the capital.

Speaking after a meeting with the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, at the Ministry of Justice, Bowser told journalists: “I will not go into the details of our operational plan at this stage, but you will see the Metropolitan Police Service (MPD) working side by side with our federal partners in order to enforce the efforts we need in the city.”

Bowser has cultivated a delicate working relationship with Trump since his return to power in January, avoiding direct confrontations when possible. On Tuesday, she struck a conciliation note and said that she would try to make the most of the additional resources to fight crime.

“What I am focusing on is the federal push and how to make the most of the additional support we have,” she said. “We have the best of the company at MPD and the leader Pamela Smith to direct this effort and ensure that men and women who come from the application of federal laws are well used and that, if there is the National Guard, that they are well used and everything in an effort to reduce crime.

“So how we got here or what we are thinking about circumstances at the moment, we have more police and we want to make sure we use them.“”

However, other Democratic mayors across the country have adopted a different tone, warning Trump against the expansion of his takeover of the law and of order in other major cities.

Trump told journalists on Monday: “We also have other cities that are bad”, citing the democratic bastions of Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. “And then, of course, you have Baltimore and Oakland. You don’t even mention them anymore, they have so far.”

Stephen Miller, an assistant chief of staff in the influential White House, intensified rhetoric on Tuesday, tweeting without proof: “The statistics of crime in big blue cities are false. Real crime rates, chaos and dysfunction are higher magnitude.

The five cities named by Trump are managed by black mayors. Most were frank to denounce the president’s decision. Brandon Johnson, mayor of Chicago, said in a statement: “The sending of the National Guard would only be used to destabilize our city and undermine our public security efforts.”

Brandon Scott, the mayor of Baltimore, said: “Regarding public security in Baltimore, he should deactivate right propaganda and watch the facts. Baltimore is the surest he has been for more than 50 years.”

Barbara Lee, the mayor of Oakland, wrote on X: “The characterization of President Trump of Oakland is wrong and based on fear to try to score inexpensive political points.”

Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, where the troops were sent earlier this month in a repression against the demonstrations, published: “Another experience of the administration, another takeover of the local government. This is performative. It’s a blow. He has always been and will always be. ”

Trump took command of the Washington DC police department and deployed the National Guard under the laws and constitutional powers which give the federal government more offense on the national capital than other cities. But the Democrats have raised fears that Washington DC is a plan for similar tactics with strong arms elsewhere.

Christina Henderson, a member of the Washington DC council, said on Tuesday in CNN: “I listened to the president’s press conference yesterday, and I think it should be worrying about all the Americans that he spoke of other cities.

“The District of Columbia, for decades, without state of state, has always been used as a Petri box, where the congress or the federal government is trying ideas here. So, I hope people do not lose sight of what’s going on in the district. And even if they do not live here, they fight hard with us. ”

California governor Gavin Newsom warned that Trump “Gette his way in the militarization of any city he wants in America”.

JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, insisted that the president “has absolutely no right and no legal capacity to send troops to the city of Chicago, and I therefore reject this notion”.

He added: “You saw that he did not follow the law. I talked about the fact that the Nazis in Germany in the 1930s demolished a constitutional republic in just 53 days. It does not take much, frankly, and we have a president who seems determined to do.”