Trump vowed DC takeover multiple times on 2024 campaign trail: 'He's keeping his promise'
Though the move by the Trump administration this week to federalize the nation's capital in the name of public safety has drawn controversy, previous comments by the president show the bold action was a direct campaign promise.
Hundreds of National Guard troops and federal agents were deployed to deter crime and "beautify" the city after President Donald Trump federalized the Metropolitan Police Department on Monday.
While coordination with the federal government came after former DOGE employee ‘Big Balls’ was violently beaten in Washington, D.C., the commanding step was promised on multiple occasions during Trump's presidential campaign in 2024.
"Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump because of his commonsense policies that are hugely popular with the American public–including restoring law and order. Making DC Safe Again and stopping violent crime is something President Trump pledged to do and now he’s keeping his promise," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. "Democrat politicians who oppose this move are suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome and it is just one of the many reasons why their approval rating is hitting record lows. Meanwhile, Americans from all backgrounds and communities can applaud efforts to stop violent crime."
Following the January 2024 murder of Mike Gill, a Republican who worked under the Obama and Trump administrations, in Washington, D.C., Trump posted on Truth Social noting the violence was unacceptable.
"Wonderful and brilliant Mike Gill, a highly respected member of the Trump Administration, was ruthlessly and viciously shot in the head during a carjacking in Washington D.C.," Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday morning. "His family and friends are devastated. The Federal Government must take over D.C."
Gill was shot in broad daylight on Jan. 29, 2024 while sitting in his car parked just a few blocks north of the National Mall.
He was waiting to pick his wife up from work when an armed carjacker opened fire. He suffered a gunshot wound to the head and died three days later.
At a campaign event in Las Vegas, Trump doubled down on the promise to restore law and order in the capital.
"We’re going to federalize it," he said. "We’re going to have the toughest law enforcement in the country."
Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich also weighed in on the topic following Gill's death, calling on Congress to "take back control."
"Mike Gill’s death from attack by a carjacker on 14th street in downtown Washington while picking his wife up from work is one more example of why Congress needs to take back control of our national capital," Gingrich wrote in an X post.
I SUPPORT TRUMP TAKING CONTROL OF DC POLICE — THE CONSTITUTION IS ON HIS SIDE
Mayor Muriel Bowser said violent crime in D.C. is at a 30-year low, but city data shows robberies and homicides spiked after the pandemic.
D.C. records show gun violence jumped 460% downtown, while homicides rose up to 500% in neighborhoods like Southwest/Waterfront and H Street.
Trump has 30 days of temporary emergency control of the capital under current law, and warned he could declare a national emergency to prolong it if Congress resists.
"You can't have 30 days," he said during a news conference at the Kennedy Center. "We're going to do this very quickly, but we're going to want extensions. I don't want to call a national emergency, but if I have to, I will."
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.