Trump Threatens To Take Federal Control Of D.C. To Fight Violent Crime Committed By ‘Youths’

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he is considering taking complete control of Washington, D.C., to fight the violent crime that “is totally out of control” and often committed by teenagers.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that violent crime in the city is being committed by teenagers who are then getting “immediately released” if arrested. In his post, Trump shared a photo of a bloodied young man whom he said was “beaten mercilessly by local thugs.”

“They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now!” the president said of the teenage criminals. “The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these ‘minors’ as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14.”

“Washington, D.C., must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see. If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore,” Trump added.

The president also threatened to take control of the nation’s capital in February, blasting D.C. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser’s leadership.

“I think that we should govern the District of Columbia. It’s so important,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on February 19. “I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely flawlessly beautiful.”

D.C. leaders recently created a new police unit to focus on juvenile crime as the city faces an increase in teenagers fighting at school and breaking the law outside of school, NBC 4 Washington reported. Each year since 2020, the number of juveniles arrested in the nation’s capital has increased. In 2024, the majority of all robbery arrests involved juveniles, and around 60% of carjacking arrests through the first three months of 2025 involved minors.

Republicans in Congress introduced legislation earlier this year to end “home rule” in D.C., which allows residents to control their local affairs, and give Congress more control over the city. Under “home rule,” D.C. residents can elect their mayor and city council while Congress maintains some oversight. The city council is made up of 11 Democrats and two independents.

The bill, spearheaded by Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) and Mike Lee (R-UT), specifically called out “the mayor and city council’s failure to prevent violent crime, corruption, and voting by non-citizens.”