Trump's Trials - Trump's DC takeover: crime narrative doesn't match the facts

Episode Date: August 11, 2025

President Donald Trump says National Guard soldiers will be deployed on the streets of Washington, D.C., and he asserted federal control over the city's Metropolitan police department. NPR's Brian Mann reports. Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Do you ever look at political headlines and go, huh? Well, that's exactly why the NPR Politics Podcast exists. We're experts, not just on politics, but in making politics make sense. Every episode, we decode everything that happened in Washington and help you figure out what it all means. Give politics a chance with the NPR Politics Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Scott Detrow, and this is Trump's Terms from NPR. We're going to be doing all sorts of things. Nobody ever thought was even possible.

President Trump has brought back string to the White House. We can't just ignore the president's desires. This will be an entirely different country in a short period of time. Every episode, we bring you one of NPR's latest stories about the 47th president, and now he is trying to remake the federal government. Today's story starts right after this. I'm Lila Faldon in Washington, D.C., where President Trump just announced he's putting the city's police department under direct federal control.

He also said he's deploying hundreds of National Guard to the nation's capital. Something's out of control, but we're going to put it in control very quickly like we did on the southern border. I'm announcing a historic action to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor and worse. Now, the president painted a picture of a city riddled with crime, homelessness, and with residents afraid to leave their homes. But his description doesn't match the numbers. Last year, crime actually dropped to a 30-year low in Washington, D.C., according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

And local leaders have objected to this exact scenario. For more on this, we're joined by NPR's Brian Mann, who's been following this since over the weekend, and he joins me now. Good morning. Hi, Layla. So what else did President Trump say about what he's doing and under what authority? Well, really what he said, and he declared officially, is that there's an emergency in Washington, D.C. in the nation's capital, as you laid out,

he described this very dire scenario, which doesn't match the facts as we know them. And he said this new combination of force is going to be much tougher than Metro Police have been in the past. Here he is. In addition, I'm deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order of public safety in Washington, D.C., and they're going to be allowed to do their job properly. Interesting, Layla, to see how his legal authority plays out here. The president does appear to have the ability to do this under an emergency provision of Washington's home rule law, but that's only a temporary policy window for him. It appears that Congress would have to act to allow this to continue over the long term. Now, Brian, as you point out, he paints this really dark picture of Washington, D.C., a city, really that he describes that I didn't recognize. Of course, there's some crime and homeless. but based on his description, I'm not sure how I made it to work safely. He also compared the

speed and power of this crackdown to what's happening on the U.S.-Mexico border. Some federal agents were already deployed over the weekend. You were out. What did you see? Yeah, I think it's first important lately to talk about that discrepancy between Trump's narrative and the facts. Crime, as you say, is down in Washington at a historic low, according to the Justice Department. This announcement follows a pattern where Trump often bases big policy shifts on narratives that are false or misleading. Last night, I did see dozens of agents from the FBI, DEA, and other agencies on the street, some wearing masks, carrying military-style rifles. But the fact is, the streets were full of tourists and locals just out on a summer

evening, enjoying ice cream and street food. And Washington, D.C.'s Mayor Muriel Bowser talked about this on MSNBC Sunday. She questioned the president's motives here. Here she is. Now, if the priority is to show for us in an American city, we know. I know he can do that here. But it won't be because there's a spike in crime. At one point last night, Leila, there was a minor accident, and I saw at least two dozen federal agents come running to the scene where Metro Police seem to have things under control.

That's NPR's Brian Mann in Washington, D.C. Thank you, Brian. Thank you, Leila. And before we wrap up, a thank you to our NPR Plus supporters who hear each show without. sponsored messages and, of course, who help protect independent journalism. If you are not a supporter yet, you can visit plus.npr.org to find out how you can get a ton of podcast perks across dozens of NPR shows, like bonus episodes, exclusive merchandise, and more.

Again, that's plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's Terms from NPR. Thank you.