U.S. President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi stand beside a table stacked with pizza boxes during a visit to the U.S. Park Police Anacostia Operations Facility, where they met with police and military personnel following Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., August 21, 2025. Image: REUTERS/Nathan Howard.
(The Post News)– President Donald Trump declared his federal crime crackdown in Washington, D.C., a success as he visited police officers and military troops deployed under his plan, bringing them pizza and hamburgers in a show of support.
On Thursday, Trump visited the U.S. Park Police headquarters in Southeast Washington to thank officers for their efforts in reducing crime. Without offering proof, he proudly declared that the capital was “like a different place,” because “everybody is safe now.” Alleging that violent crime was on the rise, Trump declared a public safety emergency last week.
Under the emergency order, Trump temporarily took control of the city’s police department and deployed National Guard soldiers and federal agents. Residents say the strategy has led to increased stop-and-frisk searches, federal officers patrolling neighborhoods, and people being questioned without explanation.
The move has sparked criticism from local officials and residents, who argue the tactics are excessive. City mayor Muriel Bowser pointed out that violent crime had already been on a decline for two consecutive years. However, she welcomed the deployment of 500 additional officers, saying it will ultimately yield more arrests.
On Aug. 22, Trump pushed back on Bowser’s remarks in a post on X, calling the city’s crime statistics “false and highly inaccurate.” He warned that if she continued sharing what he called “false” information, “bad things will happen, including a complete and total federal takeover of the city.”
Sources told Reuters that this week, the administration ordered prosecutors in Washington to handle cases from the crackdown more aggressively.
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