US President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric on crime and homelessness in Washington, DC, on Sunday, directing homeless individuals to "move out of the city IMMEDIATELY."

In a Truth Social post, he vowed to make the "Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before," promising to provide "places to stay" for the unhoused, but "FAR from the Capital."

He added that "[c]riminals" would be jailed "where they belong," stressing that the changes would happen quickly. "There will be no 'MR. NICE GUY," Trump wrote alongside photos of roadside tents. "We want  our Capital BACK."

Hours after the announcement, the FBI’s Washington Field Office confirmed its agents "are participating in the increased federal law enforcement presence" in the capital. The deployment is part of Trump’s "DC Safe and Beautiful" executive order, which has led to a rise in arrests for nonviolent offenses despite an overall decline in crime.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Trump’s actions had "in just a few nights" removed weapons and illegal drugs from city streets, deterring "countless potential crimes" through "a large, visible law enforcement presence."

Trump’s crime and beautification agenda

In another Truth Social post, Trump announced a press conference for Monday morning, saying the plan would address not only ""ending the Crime, Murder, and Death in our Nation’s Capital" but also the "Cleanliness and the General Physical Renovation" of the city. He criticized a $3.1 billion renovation project at the Federal Reserve, claiming it could have been done for $50 to $100 million "in a far more elegant and time sensitive manner."

Calling DC Mayor Muriel Bowser "a good person who has tried" but failed to reverse crime and cleanliness issues, Trump compared his proposed crackdown to his border policy, vowing: "Before the tents, squalor, filth, and Crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the World. It will soon be that again."

Crime in DC: rhetoric vs. reality

While Trump has described the city as "totally out of control," recent data tells a more nuanced story. According to 2025 crime statistics, violent crime in DC has decreased by 26% compared to 2024, with homicides down 12%, robberies down 28%, and sexual abuse cases down 49%.

Over the past two years, violent crime has fallen 35%, reaching the lowest levels in over three decades. Still, the city’s violent crime rate, 1,151 per 100,000 people, remains more than twice the national average, making it one of the highest in the country.

Homelessness in DC remains a challenge

Despite a 9% decline in homelessness in 2025 compared to 2024, DC continues to have the highest rate of homelessness in the US, with about 73 people experiencing homelessness per 10,000 residents.

Research shows that homelessness and crime have a complex, bidirectional relationship. While some homeless individuals engage in "survival crimes" such as theft or trespassing, they are far more likely to be victims than perpetrators. Homeless people in DC are 10 times more likely to experience theft and have a violent crime victimization rate of 49 per 1,000, compared to 4 per 1,000 in the general population.

Federal takeover threats and political reactions

It is worth mentioning that Trump has threatened to federalize the city’s police if "DC doesn’t get its act together," a move that would require Congress to overturn home rule. Even without that, he could deploy the DC National Guard or temporarily take command of the Metropolitan Police Department.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser disputed Trump’s characterization, noting that violent crime has declined for the second consecutive year. "We are not experiencing a crime spike," she told MSNBC, adding, "Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false."