Donald Trump deployed the National Guard in Washington and takes on the control of the local police by invoking the home Rule Act of 1973, unleashing tensions with the mayor Bowser
With an announcement destined to shake the capital, President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of the National Guard to Washington and the transfer of the control of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to the Federal Government. The move, defined by the president as Washington’s “liberation day”, was justified with the need to fight “murders, violence, ferocity and degradation” in the city.
To do this, Trump invoked a 1973 home Rule Act provision, which allows the president to temporarily take on the guide of the city police in case of emergencies. According to the White House, about 800 members of the National Guard have already been mobilized, with the possibility of a further increase, flanked by 500 federal agents from FBI, ATF, DEA, Ice and Us Marshals.
An unprecedented move
The standard generally provides for a federal intervention of maximum 48 hours, extendable up to 30 days with the authorization of the congress. It is a rarely used measure and which, in this case, marks a strong centralization of the police power in the hands of the executive.
Washington’s reaction
The mayor Muriel Bowser defined the provision “an abuse of power” and stressed that the official data show a decrease in crime: violence of 26% and murders falling compared to the previous year, while the overall crime fell by 7% in 2025.
According to critics, the operation also has a strong political value, in line with the rhetoric “Law and Order” that has accompanied Trump since the election campaign, and opens a debate on the delicate balance between public safety and local autonomy of Washington, a city that is not a state and enjoys a limited autonomy.
