Trump touts crime drop as DC erupts in protests over federal crackdown

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites + Agencies
29 Aug 2025 12:37
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Trump boasts of a "crime-free zone" in DC, but critics warn his heavy-handed crackdown, mass arrests, and federal takeover threaten civil liberties.

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People hold a grassroots, daily, five-minute pots and pans protest to demonstrate against President Donald Trump's immigration policies, in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (AP)

US President Donald Trump declared that Washington, DC is on track to become a “crime-free zone” following what he described as a dramatic reduction in criminal activity over the past 14 days.

“Carjacking in DC is down 87%. ALL other categories of crime are likewise down massively since I got involved. DC will soon be a CRIME FREE ZONE, in only 14 days, far faster than scheduled. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Thursday.

Donald J. Trump Truth Social 08.28.25 11:08 PM ESTanti

Carjacking in DC is down 87%. ALL other categories of crime are likewise down massively since I got involved. DC will soon be a CRIME FREE ZONE, in only 14 days, far faster than scheduled. Thank you for your attention to this…
— Fan Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) August 29, 2025

The statement came after US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in late August that more than 1,000 arrests had been made and over 100 illegal firearms seized as part of what he described as federal efforts to curb crime in the nation’s capital.

Trump announces death penalty policy for all murders in DC

Trump announced on Tuesday that the federal government will seek the death penalty for anyone convicted of murder in Washington, DC, as part of a new initiative aimed at curbing violent crime in the capital.

“Anybody murders something in the capital. Capital – capital punishment,” Trump said during a cabinet meeting. “If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, DC, we are going to be seeking the death penalty. That is a very strong preventative, and everybody that has heard it agrees with it. I do not know if we are ready for it in this country, but we have it. We have no choice.”

The Trump death penalty policy would apply specifically to crimes committed within the District of Columbia. Trump emphasized that while this measure is federal in scope, individual states would still be responsible for determining their own policies on capital punishment.

The initiative is being presented as part of a broader federal crackdown on crime, particularly in Washington DC, which Trump described as suffering from some of the highest crime rates globally, “more than many of the most violent Third World Countries,” he claimed.

National Guard and police control

On August 11, Trump announced plans to take federal control of the DC police department and ordered the deployment of the National Guard to the capital.

BREAKING: In an insane moment, crime is so bad in Washington DC, National Guard troops deployed there by Trump are busy... picking up garbage, at the cost of $1 million per day to taxpayers.

A disgraceful misuse of our military.pic.twitter.com/vI2nWoEzX8
— Really American 🇺🇸 (@ReallyAmerican1) August 27, 2025

According to a statement from a US defense official, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed that National Guardsmen stationed in Washington be equipped with weapons. The move comes amid growing concerns about law enforcement's ability to manage crime in the capital.

Citizens of Washington are voicing growing dissent as federal agents encounter mounting protests in the capital’s streets, The New York Times reported on Monday. The deployment of hundreds of masked federal officers, reinforced by additional National Guard troops, has ignited a wave of outrage across the city.

NOW: DC residents march in Washington D.C with a clear message "FREE DC" and "IT'S TIME FOR TRUMP TO GO" pic.twitter.com/nkqbUO6lN8
— Ron Smith (@Ronxyz00) August 28, 2025

Demonstrators rallied near the White House and outside Union Station, banging pots and pans, chanting slogans, and blasting The Imperial March, the iconic Darth Vader theme from Star Wars, to ridicule the show of force.

Furthermore, many are reportedly documenting the confrontations on their smartphones, fueling nationwide concern that similar deployments could soon spread to other US cities.