Abuse of power? – Donald Trump threatened to place Washington under federal control, denouncing a “hallucinating crime”
On Wednesday, Donald Trump suggested that he could place Washington under federal administration, rekindling an old campaign promise. “We are thinking about it, yeah, because crime is mind-blowing,” he said to the press, in response to a question on a possible takeover of local institutions, in particular the police.
“We want a large capital that is sure and we will have it,” he continued, evoking a possible national guard “very quickly”. A direct reference to the controversial intervention of this federal military force in Los Angeles, deployed against the advice of the Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.
Crime, however, decreasing
The presidential exit comes while the city, led by democratic elected officials, experienced a significant drop in crimes: according to official figures, crime fell by 26 % in the first half of 2025. In 2024, Washington had already recorded its lowest level in thirty years.
But Donald Trump does not bother with these statistics. True to his rhetoric, he has been criticizing Washington management for years, which he regularly describes as “filthy” and “dangerous”. On Tuesday, he reaffirmed on his social networks: “If DC does not act in a concerted and rapid way, we will have no choice but to take control of the municipality and to direct it as it should be. »»
“Make DC sure and beautiful”
Last March, he had (…)
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