President Donald Trump on Monday assumed federal control of Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department and ordered the deployment of roughly 800 National Guard troops to the nation’s capital, invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. Declaring what he called “Liberation Day in D.C.,” the president said the extraordinary step was necessary to “re-establish law, order and public safety.” The Home Rule Act allows a president to take charge of the city’s police force for 48 hours in an emergency and to extend that control for up to 30 days with notice to Congress. The White House said Attorney General Pam Bondi will direct the department, while Drug Enforcement Administration chief Terry Cole will serve as acting police commissioner during the takeover. Trump argued the capital has been “overtaken by violent gangs” and blighted by homelessness. Official figures, however, show violent crime fell 35% last year and is down an additional 26% so far in 2025, marking the lowest levels in three decades, according to district statistics. District Mayor Muriel Bowser called the move “unsettling and unprecedented” and renewed her push for D.C. statehood. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton said she will introduce a congressional resolution to overturn the federal intervention, while House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans applauded the crackdown. Pentagon officials said Guard personnel will mainly provide logistics and administrative support and are not expected to carry weapons routinely. The administration has signaled the control period could be prolonged and suggested similar actions may follow in other cities if local authorities fail to curb crime.