Photo: Getty Images
UPDATE:
President Donald Trump announced that he's invoking the D.C. home Rule Act to place the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and will deploy members of the National Guard during a press conference on Monday (August 11).
--
President Donald Trump declared that Washington, D.C., would be "liberated today" in a post shared on his Truth Social account Monday morning.
"Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today! Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN! The days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people, are OVER! I quickly fixed the Border (ZERO ILLEGALS in last 3 months!), D.C. is next!!! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT," Trump wrote.
The post was shared prior to the president's press conference scheduled to take place Monday morning amid reports that he planned to send up to 1,000 National Guard troops and more than 100 FBI agents to the nation's capital. The agents will reportedly assist local law enforcement, a rarity as the FBI typically doesn't patrol with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
Trump has threatened to federalize Washington, D.C., in an effort to limit violence, especially among teenagers, that has increased recently. A former Department of Government Efficiency staffer was beaten by a group of 10 minors during an attempted carjacking incident earlier this month.
A White House official told NBC News “we won’t get ahead of the president on any potential announcements, but the president has been clear that all options are on the table when it comes to making D.C. safe again," when asked about Trump's decision on Monday.