Trump announced that he would place the Washington, D.C. police department under federal control and deploy the National Guard to the district

President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would bring the Washington DC police department under federal control and order the National Guard in the capital to combat what he called a wave of "lawlessness". "I am deploying the National Guard to help re-establish law, order and public safety in Washington, D.C. Our capital has been overrun by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals," Mr. Trump told reporters at a White House news conference. The move is the latest time Mr. Trump has used his executive powers to intervene in what has traditionally been a local jurisdiction, targeting Democratic cities. But he denied he was "creating a crisis" to expand presidential power. Mr. Trump said the high crime rate in Washington, D.C., was affecting the functioning of the federal government and that while other cities were also bad, Washington, D.C., would be the start. It is reported that Mr. Trump has officially declared a public safety emergency in Washington, D.C., and said he would use the military if necessary.