Donald Trump is planning to extend his federalized approach to crime beyond Washington, D.C.
On Friday, the president spoke with reporters in the Oval Office, praising the National Guard and D.C. police for their work during his administration’s takeover of the nation’s capital.
“After we do this, we will go to another location and make it safe also,” Trump said. “Chicago is a mess, you have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent. We’ll straighten that one out. That will probably be our next one after this.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(667x385:669x387):format(webp)/donald-trump-trump-was-right-about-everything-hat-082125-1-1efd8f1506244f0996eab6d343604926.jpg)
“It won’t even be tough. The people of Chicago… are screaming for us to come. They’re wearing red hats, just like this one,” he added, referencing his latest personalized merchandise, a red baseball cap that reads “Trump Was Right About Everything.”
“African-American ladies, beautiful ladies, are saying, ‘Please President Trump, come to Chicago, please,'” he continued. “I did great with the Black vote, as you know. They want something to happen.”
While Trump did increase his support from Black voters in the 2024 election compared to 2020, he won only 20% of the national Black vote. In Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, he secured just over 28%.
“So I think Chicago will be our next, then we’re gonna help with New York,” Trump said.
Trump also celebrated the results of his D.C. takeover on social media.
“Washington, D.C. is SAFE AGAIN!” he wrote on Truth Social. “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!!!”
He continued, “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!!!”
Trump announced his D.C. crime crackdown during a press conference on Monday, Aug. 11, stating that he was taking control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deploying the National Guard to combat crime and address the city’s homeless population.
He appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi to oversee the city police and said other military forces could be deployed “if needed.”
“Today we’re formally declaring a public safety emergency,” Trump said.
While arrests have risen since the takeover, so too have protests against curfews and pop-up ICE checkpoints. In Dupont Circle this week, demonstrators chanting “Danger! Danger! There’s a fascist in the White House!” were encircled by a National Guard Humvee.
Last week, Trump signaled plans to extend the initial 30-day D.C. police takeover and expand the crackdown to other cities.
“We’re going to need a crime bill… and it’s going to pertain initially to D.C.,” he said while announcing the 2025 Kennedy Center nominees. “We’re going to use [D.C.] as a very positive example and we’re going to be asking for extensions on that long-term.”
“That’s going to serve as a beacon for New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and other places all over the country,” he added. “Our whole country is going to be so different and so great. 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.”
