D.C. falls into total federal control under Trump administration
Bella Coco, News Editor
In early August 2025, President Trump invoked a crime-emergency declaration under the D.C. Home Rule Act, initiating federal control over the Metropolitan Police Department and activating approximately 800 members of the District of Columbia National Guard—a unique unit under direct presidential authority rather than local command.
Unlike the other 49 U.S. states, D.C. lacks a governor. The president controls the guard, delegating operational oversight to the Secretary of Defense. These troops—mobilized under Title 32—are assisting law enforcement with administrative tasks, logistics and visible presence, especially at tourist hotspots such as Union Station and the National Mall, despite falling violent crime rates
Federalized National Guards from West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio and Mississippi have added several hundred troops to the capital, and broadened the federal operation.
As of August 22, around 2,000 Guard members were deployed and have now been authorized to carry service-issued weapons.
The unusual scope of this deployment reflects D.C.’s unique legal standing and the president’s broad authority over its security forces. Yet critics—many local officials and constitutional scholars—warn that this encroaches on democratic norms and the principle of local governance. The debate continues as to whether this federal-led security posture is a necessary crime response or an overreach.
