People calling Trump’s plans ‘insane’ and ‘dangerous’ as he issues severe warning to US city
Donald Trump has just dropped a major warning to the US capital which people have slammed as 'insane' and 'dangerous.'
The president said there will be no 'Mr Nice Guy' in his roll-out of a militant-style crackdown on two groups of people living in Washington, DC.
It comes amid the countdown for his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin after he issued a deadline for peace in Ukraine.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump announced his vision for making the capital 'safer and more beautiful' than ever before - by turfing out the homeless living in tents and rounding up criminals for jail in apparently one mass action.
Advert
But could Trump actually execute his plan, and what have the experts been saying about his new crackdown?
So, what has Trump said about Washington?
The 79-year-old wrote: "I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before. 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."
Trump vowed to hold a news conference in the White House today (August 11) to discuss the matter, but promised it would all 'happen very fast' just like the US 'border' where Trump has been behind an aggressive suppression of illegal immigration.
"We went from millions pouring in, to ZERO in the last few months," he continued in his post. "This will be easier — Be prepared!"
He also shared four images to illustrate his message, including two images of what appears to be tents for rough sleepers on grassy verges by the road, as well as garbage on the streets of the city.
"There will be no 'MR. NICE GUY.' We want our Capital BACK. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" he concluded.
In a follow-up post, Trump said the conference will be held on 'crime and beautification' of the capital, adding his administration will discuss 'not only' ending 'crime, murder, and death in our Nation’s Capital' but also will be held to talk about 'cleanliness and the general physical renovation and condition of our once beautiful and well-maintained capital.'
"The Mayor of D.C., Muriel Bowser, is a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the Crime Numbers get worse, and the City only gets dirtier and less attractive," he added. "The American Public is not going to put up with it any longer."
"Just like I took care of the Border, where you had ZERO Illegals coming across last month, from millions the year before, I will take care of our cherished Capital, and we will make it, truly, GREAT AGAIN!
"Before the tents, squalor, filth, and Crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the World. It will soon be that again."
Could Trump actually take control of Washington?
Congress is responsible for controlling Washington's budget, but residents across DC choose their own mayor and city council.
While Trump didn't exactly outline what legal authority he has to evict people across the capital, given he only has control over federal lands and buildings in the District of Columbia, what he could do is ramp up the military presence on its streets.
According to Reuters, the US military is preparing to send hundreds of National Guard troops to the area as of Sunday (August 10).
Two anonymous officials said a decision was yet to be confirmed by Trump, and little was known about their mission, but troops are on standby to be deployed, presumably to share some of the burden from local law enforcement officials or to protect federal agents.
It also isn't the first time Trump has turned to rely on the National Guard, recently launching the controversial tactic in Los Angeles to tackle protests over immigration raids.
However, unlike in California and every other US state, where the responsibility lies with the governor over whether to call Guard troops, the president has ultimate control of it in Washington, DC.
The move also comes as a White House official tipped extra federal officers were on their way to the capital after a group of teenagers reportedly attacked a young Trump administration worker in an attempted carjacking on Friday (August 8), adds The Independent.
The incident reportedly angered the president, who heard alleged crimes from 'multiple persons carrying a pistol without a licence' to motorists driving on suspended licenses, as per Reuters.
Yet as for his powers to take control of the capital, Congress would likely have to pass a law to revoke the current legislation that gives priority to locally elected leaders, and Trump would then have to sign off on this for it to take effect.
How have experts responded to Trump’s plans for Washington?
Trump's promise to incarcerate all of Washington's criminals comes as the city's mayor, Muriel Bowser, said there has been no notable increase in crime in the area.
Washington police said violent crime was down 26 percent in DC in the first half of the year compared to last, while Bowser added the capital was 'not experiencing a crime spike.'
"It is true that we had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023," Bowser said on MSNBC’s The Weekend. "We have spent over the last two years driving down violent crime in this city, driving it down to a 30-year low."
The Community Partnership, which works to support the homeless in the city, stated there are around 3,782 people experiencing homelessness on any given night, of which most are put up in emergency shelters or transitional homes, leaving an estimated 800 unsheltered or 'on the street.'
What do residents think of Trump's Washington plan?
Reacting to the news, dozens on Reddit described the plan as 'f***ing insane' and 'dangerous performative theater.'
"I bet something big is about to happen," wrote another, while a third quipped: "It's not performative theater, its intent is to normalize military on US streets."
In another theory, a fourth penned: "Or. They are about to do something heinous and want to fortify the city because they think they’ll be at risk when they do the heinous thing.
"It could just be related to all the cuts they just made that will start having effects in the next few months, or something new and worse. Could be a foreign war and they expect retaliation on US soil (and likely protests). Could be preparing for remaining in office years from now. Could be all of it."
Topics: Donald Trump, Crime, Politics, US News, Truth Social, Washington
Liv Bridge