‘Will federalise DC if…’: Trump says US capital ‘booming’ but threatens national emergency again

President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to declare a national emergency and federalise Washington D.C. after Mayor Muriel Bowser’s announcement that the city’s police department will no longer cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

According to The Guardian report, Bowser’s decision was made amid allegations that ICE agents have been involved in racial profiling while detaining illegal suspects.

However, President Trump asserted that under his administration, Washington, D.C., transformed from one of the most dangerous cities in the US to one of the safest in just a few weeks.

Taking to Truth Social, Trump wrote, “The Federal Government, under my auspices as President of the United States of America, has stepped into the complete criminal mess that was Washington, D.C., our Nation’s Capital. Because of this, D.C. has gone from one of the most dangerous and murder ridden cities in the U.S.A., and even around the World, to one of the safest - In just a few weeks. The “place” is absolutely booming, with restaurants, stores, and businesses packed and, for the first time in decades, virtually NO CRIME. It has been a beautiful thing to watch.”

However, Trump expressed strong concern after Bowser announced that the Metropolitan Police Department would no longer cooperate with ICE in removing dangerous illegal immigrants.

“Now, under pressure from the Radical Left Democrats, Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has presided over this violent criminal takeover of our Capital for years, has informed the Federal Government that the Metropolitan Police Department will no longer cooperate with ICE in removing and relocating dangerous illegal aliens. If I allowed this to happen, CRIME would come roaring back,” he warned.

Threatening to declare a national emergency and federalise the city’s law enforcement if necessary to maintain order, he said, “To the people and businesses of Washington, D.C., DON’T WORRY, I AM WITH YOU, AND WON’T ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN. I’ll call a National Emergency, and Federalize, if necessary!!!”

On August 11, President Trump took control of Washington D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) for 30 days, deploying the National Guard and federal officers in a move aimed at cracking down on crime and homelessness, widely criticised as federal overreach.

While D.C. faces challenges with gun violence, its violent crime rate is currently at a 30-year low and is lower than many cities in Republican-led states.

Though Trump’s emergency declaration has expired, over 2,000 National Guard troops—many from Republican-run states — continue to patrol the district, with no clear end date for their deployment.

Mayor Bowser issued an executive order at the beginning of the month mandating coordination between local law enforcement and federal agencies but explicitly excluded ICE.

Trump accused “Radical Left Democrats” of pressuring Bowser to cut ICE cooperation, warning that if local police stop working with ICE, “crime would come roaring back.”

With inputs from agencies