President Donald Trump escalated his longstanding criticism of crime in Washington by threatening to place the District of Columbia under direct federal control if the city “doesn’t get its act together.” He cited the weekend beating of Edward Coristine, a former staffer in Elon Musk’s short-lived Department of Government Efficiency, as evidence that local authorities are failing to keep residents safe. The White House said late Thursday it would deploy a visibly larger federal law-enforcement presence on the capital’s streets for at least seven days, starting at midnight. The operation, led by the U.S. Park Police, will draw officers and agents from the Capitol Police, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, Amtrak and Metro transit police and several Homeland Security units. Officials said the surge could be extended “as needed.” Trump told reporters he is also weighing activation of the National Guard and has instructed lawyers to examine whether Congress could revoke the District’s 1973 Home Rule Act, which gives residents an elected mayor and council. “We have to run D.C.,” he said, arguing that the capital “has to be the best-run place in the country.” District crime statistics show a different trend: violent crime from January through July fell 26 % from the same period a year earlier, while overall crime declined 7 %. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office declined to comment on the president’s latest threat. Any move to override local governance would require congressional approval and is expected to face significant legal and political resistance.