Topline
President Donald Trump said Friday his federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s police department could soon be replicated in Chicago, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the National Guard to carry weapons as they patrol Washington, representing the latest escalation of the Trump administration’s show of force in the capital.
National Guard troops patrol around Union Station and the National Mall as part of ongoing security measures in the U.S. capital Washington, D.C. on August 21, 2025. (Photo by Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu via Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office “after we do this, we’ll go to another location, and we’ll make it safe also,” adding “Chicago’s a mess . . . and we’ll straighten that one out probably next” and New York would be next.
It’s unclear if Trump could replicate his crime crackdown in other cities—there’s no legal mechanism for him to take over other local police departments like he has in Washington under the federal Home Rule Act, Joseph Nunn, an attorney at the Brennan Center for Justice, told Forbes previously, though he could invoke the Insurrection Act to activate a state’s National Guard without the state’s cooperation.
Hegseth’s order allowing the National Guard to carry weapons is expected to be implemented in the coming days, multiple outlets reported.
Trump deployed 800 members of the D.C. National Guard earlier this month to patrol the city as part of his crime crackdown, and Republican governors from six other states so far have since sent in their own troops to assist in the effort.
The National Guard has primarily been stationed at national monuments and federal landmarks and so far, have not been directed to assist in making arrests or detaining people.
It’s unclear how long the Guard will be stationed in the capital—Trump questioned how long it might be necessary during a visit to the U.S. Park Police Anacostia operations facility Thursday, telling troops “the big question is how long do we stay? . . . because if we stay, we want to make sure [the crime] doesn’t come back. So we have to take care of these criminals and get them out.”
Contra
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has said he would reject any federal takeover of the city’s police force and reiterated that he doesn’t have the legal authority to do so. “Chicago isn’t going to let one man drag us backward; we’re going to continue moving forward,” Johnson tweeted earlier this month in response to Trump’s previous suggestions he would replicate the Washington crime crackdown there.
Tangent
Trump warned Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Friday he could expand the federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department if she did not “immediately stop giving false and highly inaccurate crime figures.” The Justice Department has opened a probe into whether police officials have manipulated crime stats to make crime appear lower than it actually. Police union officials have questioned the numbers that show crime reached a 30-year low last year, while MPD Commander Michael Pulliam was suspended and placed on leave in May amid accusations he altered crime data, though he has denied the allegations.
Key Background
Trump announced a federal takeover of the MPD on Aug. 11 and the deployment of National Guard troops and other federal law enforcement officials, claiming crime in the capital is out of control and ordering all homeless people to leave. The Federal Home Rule Act of 1973 authorizes the president to use the MPD for “federal purposes” the president deems “necessary and appropriate” for a period of 30 days, unless Congress authorizes an extension.
Further Reading
Will Trump’s DC Takeover Happen In Other Cities? Here’s What He Legally Can—And Can’t—Do (Forbes)
Trump Claims He Can Extend DC Police Control Without Congress—Here’s Why That’s False (Forbes)
Trump Says He’s ‘Going Out’ In D.C. Tonight To Join Military Patrols (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/08/22/national-guard-will-start-patrolling-dc-carrying-weapons/