WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump visited police and National Guard troops deployed throughout the United States capital on Thursday as part of his announced crime crackdown initiative.
Trump stated that these forces would “stay here for a while” during his appearance at a US Park Police facility surrounded by various law enforcement agencies.
The Republican president ordered hundreds of National Guard members to deploy in Washington last week despite protests from some residents and statistics showing decreasing violent offenses.
“We’re going to make it safe, and we’re going to then go on to other places, but we’re going to stay here for a while,“ Trump declared during his visit.
The seventy nine year old president distributed pizzas and hamburgers to personnel after suggesting earlier that he might join patrols with police and military units.
“Everybody feels safe,“ Trump claimed while announcing plans to physically improve the capital’s infrastructure and parks.
Trump wrote on social media early Friday that “there were no murders this week for the first time in memory” in Washington.
He demanded that Mayor Muriel Bowser “must immediately stop giving false and highly inaccurate crime figures, or bad things will happen.”
Bowser has maintained that violent crime in the capital has reached its lowest level in three decades according to official statistics.
The president’s visit occurred one day after Vice President JD Vance encountered boos and “Free DC” shouts during his own troop visit.
Vance dismissed protesters as “a bunch of crazy protesters” during his meet and greet with deployed personnel.
The DC National Guard has mobilized eight hundred troops with Republican states contributing approximately one thousand two hundred additional personnel.
These forces have been visible in tourist areas including the National Mall, monuments, and Nationals Park baseball stadium.
Republican politicians have alleged that the overwhelmingly Democratic capital suffers from excessive crime, homelessness, and financial mismanagement.
Washington police data shows significant violent crime decreases between 2023 and 2024 following a post-pandemic surge.
Some residents support the crackdown citing local crime concerns while others consider the show of force unnecessary or misdirected.
Several incidents involving law enforcement have gained viral attention including the arrest of a man filmed throwing a sandwich at an agent.
Banksy style posters honoring the “sandwich guy” have appeared throughout the city as residents express discontent.
National Guard statements indicate troops provide “critical support such as crowd management, presence patrols and perimeter control in support of law enforcement.”
Trump has attempted to assume full control of the Washington police department alongside deploying troops throughout the city.
This Washington deployment follows Trump’s dispatch of National Guard and Marines to address unrest in Los Angeles, California related to immigration enforcement raids. – AFP