US President Donald Trump on Sunday vowed to crack down on Washington, DC, pledging to remove all homeless people from the capital and jail criminals in a bid to “take our Capital back,” claiming crime has risen significantly.“We want our Capital BACK,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social. “The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong.”“This will be easier — Be prepared! There will be no ‘MR. NICE GUY,’” he added, noting that more details would be revealed at a news conference Monday. “It’s all going to happen very fast, just like the Border. We went from millions pouring in, to ZERO in the last few months,” he added, referring to the crackdown by immigration and customs enforcements on illegal immigrants in the nation.
The announcement follows the violent assault of former department of government efficiency staffer Edward Coristine, also known as “Big Balls.” Police say Coristine, 19, now working at the social security administration, was attacked around 3 am last Sunday by about 10 juveniles near DuPont Circle after he tried to stop a carjacking. Two suspects have been arrested, and a $10,000 reward is being offered for information on the others. Trump shared a photo of Coristine bloodied from the incident, which occurred about a mile from the White House.“I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before,” said Trump in his post.Last Thursday, Trump announced plans to deploy federal law enforcement across DC to combat crime. Under the 1973 Home Rule Act, DC’s mayor and city council govern the city, but Congress can review and overturn local laws. Some Republicans have also suggested a federal takeover to address crime.DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, a strong advocate for the city’s autonomy, said the District will work with federal officers. “I suspect that his announcement is that he is surging federal law enforcement and he may talk about even larger numbers or longer periods of time,” she told MSNBC, cited by The New York Post. “He’s interested in being in neighborhoods, fighting crime in neighborhoods. We are not experiencing a crime spike.”Despite political differences, Bowser met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last year and privately expressed support for making DC safer and cleaner.According to DC police data, violent crime is down 26% from last year, homicides are down 12%, and overall crime is down 7%. In 2024, violent crime fell 35% from 2023. However, DC still had the fourth-highest homicide rate in the country in 2023, according to USA Facts.“It is our capital city. It is more violent than Baghdad. It is more violent than parts of Ethiopia, than parts of many of the most dangerous places in the world,” said White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, as quoted by The New York Post.