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This extraordinary move comes 10 days after Trump ordered 800 National Guard troops to Washington’s streets and took control of the city’s police force following a declaration of a local crime emergency.
The White House said details about Trump’s appearance with law enforcement will be revealed later. Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and top White House aide Stephen Miller visited Washington’s Union Station on August 20 to thank National Guard troops and claim that crime has already dropped drastically in the nation’s capital following Trump’s takeover.
Trump defended his aggressive steps as necessary to combat crime, despite a 26% decrease in violent crime rates in Washington compared to last year. However, protesters at Union Station heckled the officials, with Miller dismissing them as “elderly white hippies” who don’t represent DC, which has more Black residents than white ones.
A poll by The Washington Post and George Mason University found that 79% of Washington, DC, residents oppose Trump’s crime crackdown and only 65% believe it will reduce violent crime.
