D.C. – Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has sent a strong message to the local government in Washington, D.C. He said that if it doesn’t “get its act together” on crime, he will put the city under federal authority. The president’s statements, which he posted on social media on Tuesday, show that he is still focused on law and order.
President Trump talked about juvenile violence in his article and called for a revision in D.C. law that would let “minors” be prosecuted as adults starting at age 14. He added, “The law in D.C. needs to be changed so that these ‘minors’ can be tried as adults and sent to prison for a long time, starting at age 14.”
He then said, “If D.C. doesn’t get its act together soon, we’ll have to take Federal control of the City and run it the right way.” The message included a picture of a young person who had been seriously hurt in a recent violent event, but he didn’t go into detail about the situation.
The president’s comments have sparked a discussion over how Washington, D.C. is run. Because it is a federal district, it doesn’t have the same level of independence as a state. The Constitution gives Congress the final say over the capital. Since 1973, Congress has given this power to a local elected government through the Home Rule Act. Congress can still look over and change local laws and get involved in some local issues, though. The president can also temporarily take charge of the D.C. police and has power over the D.C. National Guard.
Recent data shows that crime in the city is not “totally out of control,” as the president says. The FBI’s yearly crime report, which came out on Tuesday, says that violent crime is going down across the country. The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s own numbers show that violent crime is down this year compared to previous year, as of August 5, 2025. Even with these numbers, crime is still a hot topic in politics, and President Trump has always made it a key part of his political campaign.