President Donald Trump announced plans on Monday to deploy National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. in an effort to "stop violent crime.” The move comes after Trump’s announcement on Sunday that he would be ramping up efforts to mitigate D.C. crime. Overall crime in the Capitol declined 35% in 2024. He also indicated that he intends to charge teenagers as young as 14 as adults.
Trump directed homeless people in D.C. to move out “immediately” on Sunday, and his administration has begun deploying troops expecting 800 to be operational by the end of the week. On Wednesday the president said he would request a “long-term” extension of the troops. He will need Democratic support for the takeover to extend past 30 days.
Voices on the left were critical of the move, calling the plan “short-term.” Voices on the right agreed that crime was an issue, but were split on the validity of Trump’s actions.
The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) published an opinion that read, “Crime in D.C. is falling, but it is still outrageously high. That has enormous costs not just to victims, but to the people who have to take precautions against it… So, I’m very sympathetic to Trump’s desire to get things under control. That said, I am skeptical that deploying the National Guard is a solution, and the way Jeanine Pirro was talking about the problem — charge more teenagers as adults! Lock ’em up and throw away the key! — recaps the failed anti-crime politics of the 1990s.”
A writer for The Federalist (Right) argued, “The Trump administration is confronting another major problem, so naturally, Democrats and the media are busy at work claiming the problem doesn’t actually exist or otherwise can’t be solved by any obvious solution. This time, it’s crime and disorder in Washington, D.C., something anyone who has lived there for 24 hours is appalled by…The president is trying to fix it. Democrats trying to stop him are, as always, playing with other people’s lives.”
A contributor for USA Today (Lean Left) wrote, “Trump is just mad because he sees homeless people on his way to the golf course. If he truly cared about homelessness and bedlam in the streets, he would be funding housing and programs to help with addiction and mental health – not bringing in the National Guard and relocating unhoused people.I’m not worried about violent crime in America. You just have to know your surroundings and use common sense.”
Charles Fain Lehman (Lean Right) wrote in The Atlantic (Left), “If it wants to make a difference, instead of just look tough, the administration should focus its resources on the people and places that make the District unusually unsafe. The city has already identified the ‘power few’ who drive the large majority of violent offending. The administration’s priority should be to target these people for apprehension, prosecution, and incapacitation—as soon as possible.”
