Fox News anchor Bret Baier received a ticket in Washington, D.C., shortly after President Donald Trump took control of the city’s police department.
Just a week after the president assumed oversight of the Metropolitan Police Department — a move he said would help combat crime and address the city’s homeless population — Baier, 55, was pulled over by an MPD officer for distracted driving.
The Special Report host explained on X that he had briefly picked up his phone while driving past an officer in Georgetown, leading to the ticket. Like much of the rest of the country, using a cellphone while driving is illegal in Washington unless hands-free technology is employed.
“I didn’t know there was paparazzi,” Baier added at the end of his post.
After Trump announced the federal takeover of Washington, D.C., law enforcement on Aug. 11, the Metropolitan Police Department came under federal control. Attorney General Pam Bondi was placed in charge of the D.C. police, and the president indicated he was prepared to deploy additional military forces “if needed.”
The move sparked widespread protests, confrontations at ICE checkpoints, and extended curfews. While many residents have reacted negatively, the Trump administration has expressed satisfaction with the rollout.
Trump described the takeover as a response to a “public safety emergency,” even as local crime data suggested otherwise. He has accused city officials of misrepresenting statistics.
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The initial plan was for the federal control to last 30 days, though Trump has signaled interest in extending the period and applying similar measures in other U.S. cities.
“Our whole country is going to be so different and so great,” Trump said on Aug. 13. “It’s going to be clean and safe and beautiful, and people are going to love our flag more than they’ve ever loved it. And we’re going to do a great job.”
