President Trump joins the police and the National Guard in Washington

Thursday evening, President Donald Trump joined the police and the national guard services in the streets of Washington, DC, in the middle of the city’s federal acquisition of his administration and efforts to repair violence and creeping crime.

Speaking in front of a crowd made up of police officers from several different agencies as well as troops of the National Guard, Trump praised the success of the takeover in the judgment of crime in the city, saying: “We had incredible results and results are out and it is like a different place. It is like a different city.”

“The figures are broken as we do not believe, but we believe it,” he said.

This occurs while Washington, the DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) confirmed Thursday at Fox News Digital that there had been no homicide in the city for more than a week, coinciding with the federal takeover of Trump.

Addressing the officers and troops gathered, Trump said: “When I look at you, I understand why. Because there are no games, right? We are not playing games. We are going to make it sure, and we will then go to other places. But we will stay here for a while. We want to make this absolutely perfect.”

Troops of the National Guard of Six Red States go to DC to help fight crime

President Donald Trump speaks during the visit of federal troops to the US police center Anacostia in Washington, DC, on August 21, 2025. (Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images)

While praising officers and troops for a job well done, Trump also announced: “We return to the Congress for a little money, and we will redo a lot of sidewalk, a lot of medians, a large part of the graffiti takes place very quickly, it will take place very quickly.”

He is committed to redoing the parks and public spaces of Washington, jokingly: “It will look like Augusta. It will look more likely to Trump National Golf Club.”

“We are going to rebuild all your parks, and it will happen quickly. It will go up like a miracle,” he said, adding: “So you do the safety work and I will have this place repaired physically. And we are going to be so proud at the end of six months.”

Trump initially mobilized 800 troops of the National Guard DC as part of his efforts to reduce crime in Washington on August 11. Since then, the troops of the Ohio National Guard, Virginia-Western, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee have also been exploited to support the efforts of the Trump administration.

Trump announced that he would join the police and the National Guard to show his support in an interview Thursday with Radio Todd Starnes.

“I’m going to go out this evening with the police and the soldiers, of course,” he said.

Trump has sworn to DC Takeover several times on the campaign of the 2024 campaign: “ it keeps its promise ”

The National Guard increased its presence in the national capital, including dozens that have proven custody outside the DC union station. (Fox News Digital)

Trump’s visit to the police and the national guard troops comes just after the vice-president JD Vance visited the national guard troops in Washington on Wednesday.

“We see really substantial effects because these guys break them A–“, said Vance on Wednesday.

“Here in Union Station, you have vagabonds, you have drug addicts, you have the chronic homeless, you have the mental patients who harass, who threatened violence, who attacked families,” said Vance. “And they have done so for too long. It should be a monument to American size.”

Under the 1973 law, a temporary federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department is authorized for emergency situations up to 30 days. After this expiration period, the congress must intervene and approve any extension. However, similar restrictions do not exist for the Troops of the National Guard of DC in the law on the rule of the domicile.

Vance also pointed out that Wednesday extensions could occur, depending on the amount of progress made in the coming weeks.

Trump activates the national guard troops to fight against the crime “ completely out of control ” in Washington

Vice-president JD Vance and the defense secretary Pete Hegseth talks about the Troops de la Garde National at Union Station in Washington, DC, on August 20, 2025. (Alexander Drago / Pool / AFP)

Meanwhile, Washington officials have taken legal action contesting the Trump administration’s decision to federate local police on Friday.

“By illegally declaring an MPD takeover, the administration abuses its temporary authority and limited under the law,” wrote the prosecutor general of Washington, DC, Brian Schwalb in a Friday X post. “This is the most serious threat to the domicile rule that DC has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”

Patrick Ward of Fox News contributed to this report.