U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed a pair of executive orders targeting cash-free pre-trial release, escalating a White House campaign to position public safety at the centre of the 2026 mid-term debate. One order ends Washington, D.C.’s three-decade-old cashless bail system by instructing federal prosecutors to charge suspects under federal statutes and detain them in federal custody wherever permissible. The directive follows Trump’s earlier decision to assume temporary control of the District’s police department and authorise armed National Guard patrols amid a broader crime crackdown. A second, nationwide order tells Attorney General Pam Bondi to compile a list of states and cities that retain cashless bail and to recommend suspension or termination of federal grants to those jurisdictions. A White House fact sheet characterises the measure as using “the power of the federal purse” to press local governments to reinstate cash bail requirements. Supporters of cashless bail argue the policy prevents jailing low-income defendants who cannot afford bond, while critics—Trump among them—say it fuels repeat offences. Besides the District, jurisdictions including Illinois, New York, California and New Jersey have curtailed or abolished cash bail in recent years. Trump signalled the administration may take similar action in cities such as Chicago and Baltimore, underscoring his pledge to expand federal involvement in local policing if violent crime persists.