Mandel ngan / afp
President Donald Trump, here on June 24, 2025 in Washington DC, threatens to deploy the National Guard in the capital.
United States – His speaking was eagerly awaited. After several days of rumors in the American media, Donald Trump announced on the occasion of a press conference on Monday, August 11, the deployment of the National Guard in Washington DC and the placement of order maintenance in Washington under federal control. The culmination of a campaign against the capital which he wants to regain control.
Back on Sunday August 3. It is about 3 hours morning when a 19 -year -old man named Edward Coristine is attacked in the city. According to a police report that obtained Politicotwo 15 -year -olds were arrested while trying to flee. An iPhone worth $ 1,000 would have been stolen during this assault.
Except that Edward Coristine is not just anyone. Nicknamed “Big Balls”, it was one of the faces of Doge, the Department of Government Effectiveness created specially by Donald Trump so that Elon Musk and his lieutenants dismantle the administration. Politico Specifies that Edward Coristine has worked on several subjects in this context, including the American agency for international development and the establishment of Gold Cards (these visas reserved for wealthy).
Trump’s threat uttered in the oval office
Since the end of the Doge, the young entrepreneur with the controversial CV (Reuters says that his business has worked with cybercriminals) has joined Social Security. So as much to say that the attack on Edward Corostine, described as ” awesome ” By Elon Musk, caused Donald Trump’s ire.
On his social social network a few days after the attack, the president posted a long message and a photo of “This incredible young man” A song. “The crimes at Washington DC are completely out of control”he stated. “If Washington DC does not come out quickly, we will have no choice but to take federal control of the city, to direct this city as it should be, and to let the criminals know that they will no longer be able to get away”, He continued, denouncing the increase in crime. Which is not confirmed by the figures: a report published in early January by the Ministry of Justice stressed that violent crime in the city had not been so low for 30 years.
But Donald Trump likes to manage with the reality of the figures, and proposes to judge minors over the age of 14 and adults to respond to the scourge. He also, in the oval office, mentioned the possibility of “Federalize” the city and deploy the National Guard, “Maybe very quickly”. However, as the ABC channel recalls, “The Washington DC National Guard is unique because unlike other national guards, it is not under the control of a governor or, in this case, the mayor of Washington DC, but of the President”.
Washington DC, an American exception
Why such an exception? Because Washington DC has a very special status in the American Constitution. The “District of Columbia” (DC) is not a state; Its function is to be “The headquarters of the United States government”. This is where the White House, the Congress and the Supreme Court are located. The constitution even specifies that DC must not exceed the size of « 10 miles square », environ 26 km².
Until 1973, the Congress governed the city. Since then, an elected mayor and 13 municipal councilors have been in charge of administering it, although Congress still has an eye on local policy and can reverse a decision taken by the councilor. Another peculiarity: Washington DC, not being a state, he has no senator and his representative in the Chamber has limited rights during the votes. It is not for nothing that one of the slogans in the city is « taxation without representation »that’s to say “Taxed without being represented”.
It is also to remedy this injustice that in December 2024, the House of Representatives then dominated by the Democrats had adopted a text projecting to make DC on the 51st American state, a first. It must be said that the Democrats are on conquered terrain: Kamala Harris had collected 90 % of the votes against 6.5 % for Donald Trump in the presidential election 2024. The deployment of the National Guard by Donald Trump – who also criticized the capital for being dirty and of having roads in poor condition – amounts to making a spectacular leap back.
“Hell on earth”
But this offensive by Donald Trump is not new. As the Washington Postthe Republican hates DC and said it during the last presidential campaign. In January 2024, he said that Washington DC had become “Hell on earth”. And it was quick to talk about his plans: “We will regain control of this horribly managed city. Horrible, horrible, horrible “he said a few weeks later. A repeated ambition in February 2025 aboard the presidential plane.
Edward Corostine’s assault has given Donald Trump a good pretext to advance his pawns. In a message published on Truth Social Sunday, he urged the homeless from ” immediately “. Photos of homeless, tents, and dirt under the bridges were added to his post to corroborate his accusations. In this same message, he announced his press conference for the presentation of a plan to make Washington “More secure and more beautiful”.
This plan is the «Liberation» of the city, as he announced to the press on Monday. After comparing Washington to Bogota, the capital of Colombia plagued by drug trafficking and violence, he announced that he placed order of order in Washington under federal control. He then announced the deployment of hundreds of troops from the American National Guard in the city. Could he take total control of Washington in the long term? This time it would take the agreement of the Congress, where the Democrats could put themselves in battle order, or to seize justice. But a hell of a step has already been crossed.
