On Sunday, former President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to demand that homeless residents of Washington D.C. leave the nation's capital or face eviction. This bold statement came shortly after he was driven from the White House to his golf club in Virginia. Trump declared, “The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” and promised to provide housing options, albeit “FAR from the Capital.”
Trump's post was accompanied by four photographs taken from the president's motorcade during his journey to the golf course. Two images depicted a total of ten tents pitched on a grassy area along a highway on-ramp, just over a mile from the White House. Another image showed a solitary individual sleeping on the steps of the American Institute of Pharmacy Building on Constitution Avenue. The fourth image captured the vehicles transporting Trump, highlighting a small amount of roadside litter on the E Street Expressway, near the Kennedy Center.
In conjunction with his social media post, Trump promoted a news conference scheduled for Monday, where he claimed it “will, essentially, stop violent crime” in the capital district, although he did not clarify how this would be achieved. In a follow-up post, he elaborated that the conference would address not only crime but also “Cleanliness.” This announcement has sparked controversy, particularly from local advocacy groups.
In response to Trump’s statements, the Free DC movement, which advocates for self-determination, organized a protest to coincide with his news conference. Despite Trump's assertions, data indicates that Washington D.C. does not face an epidemic of homelessness or violent crime. According to the Community Partnership, an organization dedicated to preventing homelessness, there are roughly 800 unsheltered individuals sleeping outdoors on any given night in a city with a population of about 700,000. Additionally, approximately 3,275 people utilize emergency shelters, while 1,065 individuals reside in transitional housing facilities.
Trump's repeated claims regarding the need to federalize law enforcement in D.C. ignore statistics from the Metropolitan Police Department. Data released in January revealed that violent crime in Washington D.C. had decreased by 35% from the previous year and was at its lowest level in over three decades. Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed these misconceptions, stating on MSNBC, “We are not experiencing a crime spike,” and emphasized that efforts over the past two years have successfully reduced violent crime to a historic low.
Mayor Bowser also noted that federal law enforcement is consistently present in D.C., working cooperatively with local authorities. Trump's recent directive for a surge of federal officers to patrol the city was reportedly based on a specific incident involving an assault on a federal worker. However, D.C. police had already intervened in the situation, arresting two teenage suspects at the scene.
When questioned by Reuters, the White House refrained from clarifying the legal authority that Trump would utilize to evict individuals from Washington D.C. As the president governs only federal properties and buildings in the city, the U.S. Congress retains control over the city’s budget. The DC Home Rule Act, enacted in 1973, grants residents the right to elect their mayor and council members, asserting their self-governance.
In light of Trump's comments, Eleanor Holmes Norton, the nonvoting delegate representing D.C. in Congress, condemned his statements as misguided and offensive. She stated, “Even if crime in D.C. weren’t at a historic low point, President Trump’s comments would be misguided and offensive to the more than 700,000 people who live permanently in the nation’s capital.” Norton emphasized that the residents of D.C., a majority of whom are Black and brown, possess the capability to govern themselves without federal interference. She further advocated for the enactment of her D.C. statehood bill to secure the district's right to self-governance.
The ongoing dialogue surrounding homelessness, crime, and governance in Washington D.C. continues to elicit strong reactions and underscores the complexities of managing the capital city.
