President Donald Trump appeared alongside law enforcement officers and National Guard members on the streets of Washington, D.C., on Thursday evening as his administration continued its federal takeover of the city aimed at curbing violent crime.
Addressing a crowd that included personnel from multiple agencies, Trump pointed to the operation as evidence of progress in reducing crime in the capital.
“We’ve had some incredible results and results have come out and it’s like a different place. It’s like a different city,” Trump told reporters, according to Fox News.
“The numbers are down like we wouldn’t believe, but we believe it,” he added.
Trump also posted to his Truth Social platform that he is considering a full takeover of the city after he accused Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration of fudging crime stats to make DC seem less dangerous.
“Washington, D.C. is SAFE AGAIN! The crowds are coming back, the spirit is high, and our D.C. National Guard and Police are doing a fantastic job. They are out in force, and are NOT PLAYING GAMES!!! As bad as it sounds to say, there were no murders this week for the first time in memory. Mayor Muriel Bowser must immediately stop giving false and highly inaccurate crime figures, or bad things will happen, including a complete and total Federal takeover of the City! Washington D.C. will soon be great again!!!” he wrote.
The development comes as the Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital on Thursday that Washington, D.C., has gone more than a week without a homicide — a stretch that coincides with Trump’s federal takeover of the city.
In an address to assembled Guard troops and police, Trump said Thursday evening: “When I look at you people, I understand why. Because there’s no games, right? We’re not playing games. 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. We want to make this absolutely perfect. It’s our capital.”
Trump also announced, “We’re going back to Congress for some money, and we’re going to redo a lot of the pavement, a lot of the medians, a lot of the graffiti is all coming off real fast, it’s going to come down real fast.”
“We’re going to be rebuilding all of your parks, and it’s going to happen fast. It’s going to go up like a miracle,” he said. “So you do the job of safety and I’ll get this place fixed up physically. And we’re going to be so proud of it at the end of six months, but let’s say at the end of a year, this place will be maxed out in terms of beauty.”
Trump first deployed 800 D.C. National Guard troops on August 11 as part of his crime reduction initiative in the capital. Since then, additional Guard units from Ohio, West Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee have been called in to support the operation.
Trump announced he would be joining law enforcement and the National Guard to show his support in an interview on Thursday with radio host Todd Starnes.
“I’m going to be going out tonight with the police and with the military, of course,” he said.
Trump’s appearance with law enforcement and National Guard members followed Vice President JD Vance’s visit a day earlier to meet with Guard troops stationed at Washington’s Union Station.
“We are seeing really substantial effects because these guys are busting their a–,” Vance said Wednesday.
“Right here in Union Station, you have vagrants, you have drug addicts, you have the chronically homeless, you have the mentally ill who harass, who threatened violence, who attacked families,” Vance said. “And they’ve done it for far too long. This should be a monument to American greatness.”