() The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility President Trump will deploy hundreds of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., to help federal efforts to fight crime in the nation’s capital, an official confirms to . 
If the president goes ahead with the idea, he is expected to announce details at a news conference that had been scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday.
National Guard members would likely support law enforcement with logistics, similar to military operations in Los Angeles during recent unrest there, the official said. 
As of Sunday evening, there was no final decision on whether to deploy the troops in the District of Columbia, several sources with knowledge of the matter said. The White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Meantime, local leaders are preparing for what they consider an inevitable deployment at the capital, several sources with knowledge told .

The potential use of National Guard troops comes as the Trump administration has already directed federal law enforcement agencies to help patrol the streets in Washington, D.C. The president has criticized local governance for what he says is rampant crime, although Mayor Muriel Bowser insists there has been no spike in lawlessness.

On Sunday, Trump pledged to evict homeless people from the nation’s capital and jail criminals.

“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong.”

Unlike in California and every other state, where the governor typically decides when to activate Guard troops, the president directly controls the National Guard in Washington, D.C. Past instances of the Guard’s deployment in the city include in response to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.

A White House official said on Friday more federal law enforcement officers were being deployed in the city following a violent attack on a young administration staffer that angered the president.

Alleged crimes investigated by federal agents on Friday night included “multiple persons carrying a pistol without license,” motorists driving on suspended licenses and dirt bike riding, a White House official said on Sunday.

The official said 450 federal law enforcement officers were deployed across the city on Saturday.

The city’s police department says violent crime was down 26% in D.C. in the first seven months of 2025, compared with last year, while overall crime was down about 7%.

The Democratic mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser, said on Sunday the capital was “not experiencing a crime spike.”

“It is true that we had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023,” Bowser said on MSNBC’s the Weekend. “We have spent over the last two years driving down violent crime in this city, driving it down to a 30-year low.”

The U.S. Congress has control of D.C.’s budget after the district was established in 1790 with land from neighboring Virginia and Maryland, but resident voters elect a mayor and city council.

For Trump to take over the city, it is likely that Congress would have to pass a law revoking the law that established local elected leadership.