National Guard moves into DC as Trump’s law-and-order push sparks backlash from mayors

As National Guard troops were deployed to Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser pledged cooperation with federal authorities, underscoring the collaboration despite Democratic peers calling the move a dangerous overreach of law-and-order powers.

This security surge comes after President Donald Trump’s directive to activate federal forces and exert control over local law enforcement, despite D.C. experiencing its lowest violent crime rate in three decades.

“I won’t go into the details of our operational plan at this point but you will see the Metropolitan police department (MPD) working side by side with our federal partners in order to enforce the effort that we need around the city,” The Guardian quoted Bowser as telling reporters after a meeting with the attorney general, Pam Bondi, at the justice department.

Since Trump’s return to power in January, Bowser has maintained a careful working relationship with the administration, steering clear of direct confrontations. On Tuesday, she struck a conciliatory tone, saying she would focus on using the additional federal resources to combat crime effectively.

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“What I’m focused on is the federal surge and how to make the most of the additional officer support that we have,” The Guardian quoted her as saying.

“We have the best in the business at MPD and chief Pamela Smith to lead that effort and to make sure that the men and women who are coming from federal law enforcement are being well used and that, if there is national guard here, that they’re being well used and all in an effort to drive down crime.

“So, how we got here or what we think about the circumstances right now, we have more police and we want to make sure we’re using them,” she added.

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In contrast, several Democratic mayors across the country have taken a sharper stance, warning Trump against extending what they describe as a law-and-order power grab to other major cities.

On Monday, Trump escalated his criticism of Democratic-led cities, telling reporters: “We have other cities also that are bad,” specifically naming Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, and Oakland.

“You don’t even mention them any more, they’re so far gone," he added.

The next day, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller intensified the rhetoric, tweeting — without offering evidence — that crime statistics in large Democratic cities are “fake” and that the actual levels of “crime, chaos & dysfunction” are far worse.

“Democrats are trying to unravel civilization,” Miller wrote, adding, “Pres Trump will save it.”

All five cities singled out by Trump are led by Black mayors, most of whom strongly condemned the president’s actions.

“Sending in the national guard would only serve to destabilise our city and undermine our public safety efforts,” Brandon Johnson, Chicago’s mayor, was quoted as saying in a statement.

Brandon Scott, the mayor of Baltimore, said: “When it comes to public safety in Baltimore, he should turn off the rightwing propaganda and look at the facts. Baltimore is the safest it’s been in over 50 years.”

Barbara Lee, the mayor of Oakland, wrote on X: “President Trump’s characterization of Oakland is wrong and based in fear-mongering in an attempt to score cheap political points.”

Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, where troops were sent earlier this month in a crackdown on protests, posted: “Another experiment by the Administration, another power grab from local government. This is performative. This is a stunt. It always has been and always will be.”

With inputs from agencies