President Trump Declares Immediate Emergency Action
“Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today!”
That’s what President Trump posted on Truth Social this morning before addressing the nation with his ambitious plan to crack down on crime and homelessness in our nation’s capital.
President Trump declared a public safety emergency in D.C. and announced plans to deploy National Guard troops to the nation’s capital. Joining Trump at this morning’s White House briefing were FBI Director Kash Patel, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he was deploying 800 National Guard troops to Washington and temporarily taking over the city’s police department, an extraordinary assertion of presidential power in the nation’s capital.
Trump’s move, which bypassed the city's elected leaders, was emblematic of his second-term approach, which has seen him wield executive authority in ways with little precedent in modern U.S. history and in defiance of political norms.
The president cast his actions as necessary to “rescue” Washington from a purported wave of lawlessness. Statistics show that violent crime shot up in 2023 but has been rapidly declining since.
“Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals,” Trump told a news conference at the White House.
As we were going on the air this morning, President Trump had just finished his speech announcing this deployment of the National Guard to “re-establish law.” The move is aimed at more than clearing tourist areas. President Trump’s plan will connect homeless residents with housing, food, and services – not simply push them to other neighborhoods, as has reportedly happened in cities like Los Angeles. This move is both a humanitarian effort and a public safety effort, with the hope that it could serve as a model for other U.S. cities facing similar problems.
The fact is that our nation’s capital has been experiencing a major homeless crisis, as has much of the rest of the country. Major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta – even Nashville – have seen similar rises in homelessness, but D.C. has seen a rise possibly more significant than ever. Some statistics show Washington’s 2024 murder rate at roughly 27.5 per 100,000 people. As the White House has pointed out, that’s higher than Bogotá, Colombia (15), Mexico City (10), and Islamabad, Pakistan (9).
D.C. also holds the less-than-distinguished title of holding the nation’s highest rate of vehicle theft (3x the national average) and shockingly high murder rate. And we can’t forget about violent incidents that gained national attention, such as the recent murders of two diplomats and assaults on congressional staffers.
This is our nation’s capital – it’s the seat of government. We can’t have reckless crime running rampant like it’s the Wild West. President Trump is rightly going to use every legal resource at his disposal to try to clean this up. Of course, some on the Left are already screaming, making outlandish claims about the President’s move. Would we expect anything less? It’s legal. It promotes public safety. And it’s logical. Of course, they’re mad.
But mislabel it however they will, the reality is under Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act, the President has the authority to direct the mayor of Washington, D.C., to call a “special emergency” and place the Metropolitan Police under federal control for up to 30 days.
We will continue to keep you updated on the events in D.C. as they develop.
Today’s Sekulow broadcast included more discussion of President Trump’s big announcement today, including full analysis from my brother, ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow, and the reaction from the Left, and what it could mean for other cities facing similar issues. We also updated you on the legal action the ACLJ has taken to defend the three Christians who were arrested while preaching in Chicago, blatantly violating their constitutional rights.
Watch the full broadcast below: