The National Guard in Washington, D.C., will serve as a “beacon” for other major U.S. cities, including New York and Los Angeles, President Donald Trump said Wednesday in a meandering speech at the Kennedy Center.
Trump federalized the D.C. police and deployed about 800 National Guard troops to the nation’s capital this week, claiming the city is facing “out of control” crime that is getting worse. Data shows violent crime in D.C. has been declining since 2023. Trump also noted he wants to extend federal control of the D.C. police past the current 30-day limit.
“We are going to do something and it's going to serve as a beacon for New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other places all over the country,” Trump said. “Our whole country is going to be so different and so great.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser decried Trump’s measures as an “authoritarian push” on Tuesday.
Federal agents have also been deployed alongside police. On Monday night, about 850 officers and federal agents patrolled D.C. and made 23 arrests, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Officials made an additional 43 arrests Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
Washington DC takeover: Key Points
- Donald Trump deploys National Guard to Washington streets
- Trump to host Kennedy Center Honors
- Why did Trump deploy the National Guard in DC, and what can troops do?
- DC mayor attacks anti-crime measures as 'authoritarian push'
- President says DC is in chaos. The crime stats tell another story
- Trump wants to extend control of DC police past 30-day limit
Good morning
Wednesday 13 August 2025 08:40
,
Joe Sommerlad
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Donald Trump and his administration after the president dispatched National Guard troops to the streets to stamp out crime in Washington, D.C., which he has insisted is “out of control,” despite official data suggesting the opposite is true.
Donald Trump deploys National Guard to Washington streets
Wednesday 13 August 2025 08:50
,
Joe Sommerlad
Members of the District of Columbia National Guard began their first night of operations in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday as part of President Donald Trump’s anti-crime crackdown in the nation’s capital.
Troops were seen leaving the D.C. Armory earlier Tuesday and by the evening a group of about a dozen Guard personnel stood with five parked military Humvee trucks near the Washington Monument before later departing for an unknown location.
“We just did a presence patrol to be amongst the people, to be seen,” Master Sgt. Cory Boroff, one of the Guard troops near the Monument, told The New York Times.
“Of the people, for the people in D.C.,” he added.
Officials have not disclosed the exact number of troops deployed to the streets on Tuesday as part of the president’s decision, announced on Monday, to call 800 Guard personnel to the capital to fight what he has described as rampant violent crime in Washington.
Here’s a full report from Josh Marcus.
DC mayor attacks anti-crime measures as 'authoritarian push'
Wednesday 13 August 2025 09:05
,
Joe Sommerlad
Mayor Muriel Bowser again criticized the Trump administration’s anti-crime strategy during a virtual town hall event with local citizens on Tuesday, just as the Guard were taking to the streets..
Taking questions from residents, Bowser was asked how faith groups could help support the community, prompting her to urge residents to protect the city.
“This is a time when the community needs to jump in,” she said.
“To protect our city, to protect our autonomy, to protect our home rule.
“Get to the other side of this guy and make sure we elect a Democratic House so that we have a backstop to this authoritarian push.”
Bowser condemned Trump's action in strongest terms yet, describing it as an "authoritarian push" during a community Q&A
— Meagan Flynn (@Meagan_Flynn) August 12, 2025
"We don’t live in a dirty city. We are not 700k scumbags and punks. We don’t have neighborhoods that should be bulldozed. We have to be clear about our story."
Trump says DC is in chaos. The crime stats tell another story
Wednesday 13 August 2025 09:20
,
Joe Sommerlad
The president insisted at his White House press conference on Monday that his moves to “rescue” the seat of American democracy from violent street thugs was essential, using dystopian language to portrait a bleak picture of a city over-run by murderers, muggers and carjackers.
But the offical data simply does not match up with his rhetoric.
Trump team looking to create squad of 600 soldiers ready to deploy at a moments notice to quash civil unrest
Wednesday 13 August 2025 09:45
,
Joe Sommerlad
The Trump administration is reportedly considering plans to create a squad of 600 National Guard soldiers who would be ready to deploy into U.S. cities to tackle civil unrest.
As part of the “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force,” troops would be equipped with weapons and riot gear, ready to deploy within an hour under the proposals, which could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post.
Troops would be split in half, with 300 stationed at headquarters in Alabama and 300 in Arizona.
Rhian Lubin has the story.
Analysis: After DC, Trump wants to ‘takeover’ New York and Chicago. Can he?
Wednesday 13 August 2025 10:05
,
Joe Sommerlad
Rules governing the deployment of National Guard in states would restrict their ability to conduct law enforcement in most jurisdictions, John Bowden writes.
Mayor calls for DC to become 51st state after Trump’s National Guard crackdown
Wednesday 13 August 2025 10:30
,
Joe Sommerlad
Muriel Bowser has revived calls for the District of Columbia to become America’s 51st state in response to President Donald Trump’s move to federalize Washington’s police force.
As we’ve seen, the National Guard hit the streets on Tuesday night but, for Bowser, their presence is not necessary.
“We have seen a precipitous lessening of crime in the city, violent crime, especially after a post-Covid spike that we acknowledge, and we got after, and we drove down the numbers in 2023,” the mayor said on The Breakfast Club radio show on Tuesday.
“We reported last year the lowest level of violent crime in 30 years. So, we’re not taking our foot off the gas.
“We’re continuing to work, but we think that this action kind of plays into his narrative about cities, about using force, about being tough on crime, and I can say a little bit more about why D.C. is different, but it’s times like this when America needs to know why your nation’s capital, a place where 700,000 taxpaying Americans live, should be the 51st state.”
Here’s more.
Why is DC not a state already?
Wednesday 13 August 2025 10:55
,
Joe Sommerlad
Since the mayor raises it, here’s the answer to that question.
Although the District of Columbia has three electoral votes in presidential elections, it does not have voting representatives or senators in Congress and is subject to a greater degree of control than individual states.
It was created by direct order of the U.S. Constitution, which called for the formation of a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of Congress, a stipulation honored by the Residence Act that was adopted on July 16 1790 and brought D.C. into being to house the city of Washington.
Watch: Trump plans to use DC takeover as a 'model' for other cities
Wednesday 13 August 2025 11:20
,
Joe Sommerlad
Here’s what White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had to say on that theme yesterday:
Pentagon already calling National Guard in other states looking for units that to help in DC
Wednesday 13 August 2025 11:45
,
Joe Sommerlad
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that reinforcements, including “specialized units,” could be called up if needed to help rein in protests or unrest.
Here’s more.
In pictures: National Guard deployed to Washington DC
Wednesday 13 August 2025 12:05
,
Joe Sommerlad
This was the view from the streets last night:
Does ‘Big Balls’ deserve a medal?
Wednesday 13 August 2025 12:25
,
Joe Sommerlad
MAGA influencer Benny Johnson thinks so and put the question to Karoline Leavitt at the White House on Tuesday.
“Big Balls,” you may recall, is the nickname of Edward Coristine, the 19-year-old former DOGE employee who was viciously assaulted in an attempted carjacking in DC last month, which appears to be the inciting incident behind Trump’s questionable crime crackdown.
Here’s what Leavitt had to say on the question:
The murder capital of the US and a former mayor on crack: DC’s history of crime problems
Wednesday 13 August 2025 12:45
,
Joe Sommerlad
Trump’s depiction of Washington, D.C. as a violent, crime-ridden cesspit is nothing new and harks back to the 1800s, when it was described as a “contemptible hamlet” by an architect who had lofty plans for the city before the Civil War.
Later, in 1968, Richard Nixon said that it was “fast becoming the crime capital of the world” and promised to turn it into “an example of respect for law and freedom from fear.”
And in the late 1980s and 1990s, D.C. claimed the title of “murder capital” of the U.S. as homicide rates hit record rates during a drug crisis.
At the same time, the city was presided over by a mayor who was arrested for smoking crack cocaine.
Rhian Lubin has the story.
Watch: Fox News host compares DC to ‘Third World’ capital cities five days before Trump’s takeover
Wednesday 13 August 2025 13:05
,
Joe Sommerlad
Did Will Cain’s rant, broadcast last week, shape the president’s thinking?
Analysis: The president’s DC takeover once again lays bare the Trump-Fox feedback loop
Wednesday 13 August 2025 13:25
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Joe Sommerlad
Whether flanked by senior officials who were once Fox hosts or waving a bunch of charts taken directly from one of the channel’s broadcast, Trump’s takeover of Washington fully exposes the feedback loop between the president and the right-wing network, writes Justin Baragona.
Analysis: Trump took over DC with vow to stop ‘thugs’ from abusing cops. He already pardoned hundreds of them
Wednesday 13 August 2025 13:45
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Joe Sommerlad
The president’s fixation on violent clashes between “scum” and law enforcement has one glaring exception, January 6, writes John Bowden.
Trump eyes Ivanka for bizarre new White House gig despite her swearing off politics
Wednesday 13 August 2025 14:05
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Joe Sommerlad
The president’s favorite daughter has remained in the shadows since her father’s re-election to a second term last November but UFC CEO Dana White says Trump wants to get her involved with his plans to hold a cage fight on the White House lawn.
Madeline Sherratt reports.
Trump blasts 'very unfair' coverage of meeting with Putin
Wednesday 13 August 2025 14:14
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Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump has claimed there is “very unfair” coverage of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which is set for Friday.
The meeting is set to take place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, according to CNN.
US national debt hits record $37 trillion, Treasury Department reports
Wednesday 13 August 2025 14:25
,
Joe Sommerlad
The gross national debt has climbed to $37 trillion as a result of increased borrowing from Donald Trump’s administration, according to the latest report from the Treasury Department.
The departmental update, issued to track the nation’s finances, blamed the milestone on the accelerating pace of borrowing by the federal government, which has seen the debt soar by $1t to its present record high in just nine months.
The debt stood at $34t in January 2024 and $36t in November and has surpassed the $37t marker far earlier than forecasts made before the Covid-19 pandemic had anticipated.
Trump suffers another geography fail after calling Alaska ‘Russia’ as he rants ahead of Putin meeting: ‘Leningrad free’
Wednesday 13 August 2025 14:37
,
Andrew Feinberg
Two days after he twice said he was 'going to Russia' for his Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump used a Soviet-era name to describe Russia’s second-largest city as he attacked a former adviser on social media.
Keep reading:
Trump-Putin summit latest: US president says European leaders ‘want a deal’ ahead of urgent talks with Zelensky
Wednesday 13 August 2025 14:45
,
Joe Sommerlad
You can follow all the build-up to the Republican’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday with Alex Croft via our dedicated liveblog below.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz today to take part in an urgent virtual meeting with Trump.
After DC, Trump wants to ‘takeover’ New York and Chicago. Can he?
Wednesday 13 August 2025 14:55
,
Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump mobilized the D.C. National Guard on Tuesday night to fight crime in the nation’s capital.
Read more from John Bowden:
Stephen King reveals his perfect ending to the ‘Trump horror story’
Wednesday 13 August 2025 15:05
,
Joe Sommerlad
The best-selling novelist is a familiar anti-MAGA voice on social media and says he has concocted the perfect ending for his least favorite president.
Ellie Harrison reports.
Don Jr says his family got into crypto after banks refused to do business after Jan 6 ‘nonsense’
Wednesday 13 August 2025 15:15
,
Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump’s eldest son says his family “didn’t have a choice” but to get into crypto because banks didn’t want to do business with them after the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Isabel Keane has more:
Trump set to announce Kennedy Center Honorees
Wednesday 13 August 2025 15:25
,
Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump is set to visit the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center later this morning.
There, he’s expected to announce this year’s Kennedy Center Honorees. Each year, the performing arts center honors artists “whose work has shaped our cultural landscape,” according to its website.
“GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump took over the Kennedy Center in February, after he fired several members of the board and replaced them with his picks. The board then elected him as the new chair.
Why did Trump deploy the National Guard in DC, and what can troops do?
Wednesday 13 August 2025 15:26
,
Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump announced plans Monday to deploy about 800 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.
Trump claims he deployed the troops to “rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.” However, data shows that violent crime in the nation’s capital has been declining since 2023.
National Guard troops will be allowed to make arrests in Washington, D.C.. They will also be armed, an Army official told The Washington Post. However, the troops “are not going to be involved in law enforcement functions,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. The troops could help “temporarily detain” an individual, but they would then hand them over to law enforcement, he added.
An Army spokesperson also told The Washington Post the troops will primarily provide administrative and logistical support to police.
Former DC homicide detective calls federal intervention in DC 'overkill'
Wednesday 13 August 2025 15:43
,
Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump federalized Washington, D.C.’s police force and deployed National Guard troops to the nation’s capital this week.
Trump claims the move is in response to “out of control” crime that is getting worse. Data shows that violent crime in Washington, D.C. has been declining since 2023.
Former Washington, D.C. homicide detective Ted Williams told Fox News that the move is “overkill.”
"While the president may mean well, this is going nowhere fast," he said. "D.C. is not a war zone. The lawsuits for constitutional violations are coming. This is overkill."
Watch live: JD Vance visits UK RAF base to meet troops
Wednesday 13 August 2025 15:56
,
Katie Hawkinson
Watch live: Trump unveils 2025 Kennedy Center honorees
Wednesday 13 August 2025 16:10
,
Katie Hawkinson
Kennedy Center Honors explained
Wednesday 13 August 2025 16:27
,
Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump is set to announce this year’s Kennedy Center Honorees in just a few minutes.
The annual Kennedy Center Honors recognizes “the lifelong accomplishments and extraordinary talents of our nation’s most-prestigious artists,” according to the center’s website.
“The Honors have been compared to a knighthood in Britain, or the French Legion of Honor -- the quintessential reward for a lifetime’s endeavor,” the website reads.
Last year’s honorees included filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, the rock band Grateful Dead, and singer Bonnie Raitt.
Trump to host Kennedy Center Honors
Wednesday 13 August 2025 16:41
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Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump said he’s set to host this year’s Kennedy Center Honors.
Trump said he was asked to host it and initially declined. He accepted after his Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, asked him to do it.
“I said, ‘Okay, Susie, I’ll do it.’ That’s the power she's got,” Trump said.
Trump begins naming Kennedy Center honorees
Wednesday 13 August 2025 16:47
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Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump has started to identify this year’s Kennedy Center Honorees.
Country singer George Strait and English actor Michael Crawford are among the honorees, Trump said.
Trump called Crawford one of his favorite artists.
“I think he's one of the greatest talents I've ever actually seen,” Trump said.
Sylvester Stallone and Gloria Gaynor among Kennedy Center honorees
Wednesday 13 August 2025 16:50
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Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump said actor Sylvester Stallone, singer Gloria Gaynor and the rock band KISS are also among the Kennedy Center honorees.
“He's become a legend of the silver screen, a true legend, and he's a great guy, a little bit tough, little bit different,” Trump said of Stallone.
Gaynor is known for her hit song, “I Will Survive.”
“‘I Will Survive’ is an unbelievable song,” Trump said. “I've heard it, you know, like everyone else here, thousands of times, and it's one of those few that get better every time you hear it. Nobody can sing it like her, and that's an honor.”
Trump claims he ended 'woke programming' at Kennedy Center
Wednesday 13 August 2025 16:51
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Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump claimed he ended “woke programming” at the Kennedy Center after taking office.
“A few short months ago, I became chairman of the Kennedy Center, and we completely reversed it,” he said. “We reversed what was happening. We ended the woke political programming, and we're restoring the Kennedy Center as the premier venue for performing arts anywhere in the country, anywhere in the world.”
Trump took over the Kennedy Center in February, after he fired several members of the board and replaced them with his picks. The board then elected him as the new chair.
Trump slams Academy Awards
Wednesday 13 August 2025 16:59
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Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump called the Academy Awards “too political” as he announced the Kennedy Center honorees.
“I shouldn't make this political, because they made the Academy Awards political and they went down the tubes,” Trump said. “So they'll say ‘Trump made it political,’ but I think if we make it our kind of political, we'll go up.”
Trump addresses National Guard deployment
Wednesday 13 August 2025 17:05
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Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump said he’s committed to making Washington, D.C. “safe, clean and beautiful again” while speaking from the Kennedy Center.
This comes after he deployed the National Guard in the nation’s capital and federalized the local police department. Trump has claimed crime in the nation’s capital is “out of control” and getting worse, while data shows that violent crime in Washington, D.C. has been declining since 2023.
“The Democrats are afraid to do anything because they don't want to be criticized,” Trump said Wednesday. “But fighting crime is a good thing. We have to explain we're going to fight crime. That's a good thing. Already, they’re saying ‘he's a dictator.’”
Trump says he will try to extend federalization of DC police
Wednesday 13 August 2025 17:10
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Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump says he will ask for an extension on the federalization of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
The move has a 30-day limit unless Congress authorizes an extension.
“We’re going to use it as a very positive example, and we're going to be asking for extensions on that, long-term extensions,” Trump said.
Trump calls DC statehood 'ridiculous'
Wednesday 13 August 2025 17:14
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Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump called the idea of statehood for Washington, D.C., “ridiculous.”
“Statehood is ridiculous,” he said. “We want to straighten the place out. Statehood is ridiculous. It's unacceptable.”
Mayor Muriel Bowser called for the nation’s capital to become the 51st state after Trump deployed National Guard troops and federalized D.C. police.
Full story: Trump will host Kennedy Center Honors in presidential first. Here’s who’s on the honorees list
Wednesday 13 August 2025 17:17
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Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump is set to host this year’s Kennedy Center Honors.
Andrew Feinberg has the full story:
Trump says he'll announce new Fed chair 'a little bit early'
Wednesday 13 August 2025 17:32