On Tuesday, National Guard troops began arriving at their headquarters in Washington, D.C. as Democratic mayors voiced their strong opposition to President Donald Trump's plans to expand his law-and-order initiatives in major cities across the nation. The president's announcement on Monday included deploying the National Guard to the capital and placing city police forces under federal control, despite the fact that the violent crime rate is currently at a 30-year low.
During a press briefing, President Trump stated, “We have other cities also that are bad,” specifically naming Democratic strongholds such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. He also mentioned Baltimore and Oakland, claiming these cities have deteriorated so much that they are rarely discussed in the mainstream media.
Stephen Miller, a prominent deputy chief of staff at the White House, escalated the situation on Tuesday by tweeting: “Crime stats in big blue cities are fake. The real rates of crime, chaos & dysfunction are orders of magnitude higher. Everyone who lives in these areas knows this.” His remarks did not provide any substantial evidence and sparked further criticism. Miller added that “Democrats are trying to unravel civilization,” suggesting that President Trump would intervene to restore order.
The mayors of the cities mentioned by Trump, most of whom are Black leaders, were quick to denounce his actions. Brandon Johnson, the mayor of Chicago, stated, “Sending in the National Guard would only serve to destabilize our city and undermine our public safety efforts.” Brandon Scott, Baltimore's mayor, countered Trump’s claims by saying, “When it comes to public safety in Baltimore, he should turn off the right-wing propaganda and look at the facts. Baltimore is the safest it’s been in over 50 years.”
Barbara Lee, the mayor of Oakland, expressed her discontent on X, stating, “President Trump’s characterization of Oakland is wrong and based in fear-mongering in an attempt to score cheap political points.” Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, remarked on the situation, saying, “Another experiment by the Administration, another power grab from local government. This is performative. This is a stunt. It always has been and always will be.”
President Trump has taken control of the Washington D.C. police department and deployed the National Guard under constitutional powers, which grant the federal government greater authority over the capital compared to other cities. This has raised alarms among Democrats, who fear that Washington D.C. could serve as a model for similar federal overreach in other urban areas.
Christina Henderson, a councilmember for Washington D.C., shared her concerns with CNN, stating, “I was listening to the president’s press conference yesterday, and I think it should be concerning to all Americans that he talked about other cities.” She emphasized that for decades, the District of Columbia has been used as a “petri dish” for federal policies and urged citizens outside the district to recognize the implications of these actions.
California Governor Gavin Newsom warned that Trump “will gaslight his way into militarizing any city he wants in America.” Similarly, JB Pritzker, governor of Illinois, firmly rejected Trump’s authority to send troops into Chicago, stating, “You’ve seen that he doesn’t follow the law.” He cautioned that the president’s actions could lead to a rapid erosion of constitutional rights, likening the situation to the rise of authoritarianism in 1930s Germany.
The unfolding situation in Washington D.C. and major cities across the nation highlights the tense intersection of federal authority and local governance, raising questions about public safety, civil rights, and the role of the National Guard in domestic affairs.
