WASHINGTON — In a fiery late-night social media outburst, President Donald Trump warned of declaring a national emergency to override Washington, D.C.’s local leadership and maintain federal control over crime-fighting efforts in the nation’s capital.
The threat comes as Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser moves to sever ties between the city’s police department and federal immigration enforcement, potentially unraveling Trump’s recent aggressive interventions.
Trump’s post on Truth Social, timestamped around 1 a.m. on Monday, September 15, 2025, lashed out at Bowser’s decision to end cooperation between the Metropolitan Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
He credited his administration’s deployment of the National Guard and ICE agents with a dramatic turnaround in the city’s safety, claiming it had shifted from one of the most dangerous urban areas to a booming, low-crime hub.
“The National Guard and ICE patrolling the streets of the capital had ‘been a beautiful thing to watch,’” Trump wrote, highlighting the federal presence that began in August 2025.
He accused Bowser of yielding to “Radical Left Democrats,” stating, “But, now, under pressure from the Radical Left Democrats, Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has presided over this violent criminal takeover of our Capital for years, has informed the Federal Government that the Metropolitan Police Department will no longer cooperate with ICE in removing and relocating dangerous illegal aliens.”
Trump emphasized the stakes, warning, “If I allowed this to happen, CRIME would come roaring back.
To the people and businesses of Washington, D.C., DON’T WORRY, I AM WITH YOU, AND WON’T ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN.
I’ll call a National Emergency, and Federalize, if necessary!!!”
Donald Trump Takes Pride
The president’s rhetoric extended to broader claims about his influence on urban crime.
He boasted, “The Federal Government, under my auspices as President of the United States of America, has stepped into the complete criminal mess that was Washington, D.C., our Nation’s Capital.”
Trump further stated, “Because of this, D.C. has gone from one of the most dangerous and murder ridden cities in the U.S.A., and even around the World, to one of the safest – In just a few weeks.
The ‘place’ is absolutely booming, with restaurants, stores, and businesses packed and, for the first time in decades, virtually NO CRIME.”
This escalation follows the expiration of an emergency order that had empowered federal patrols in the district, home to over 700,000 residents.
In early September, Bowser announced the creation of the Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center as a local alternative, declaring, “We don’t need a presidential emergency.”
She further clarified her stance last week: “Immigration enforcement is not what MPD does, and with the end of the emergency, it won’t be what MPD does.”
The new center, she said, “lays out a framework for how we will exit the emergency.”
Bowser’s actions represent a delicate balancing act after a month of navigating tensions with the Trump administration.
Protesting Remains Afoot
Protesters confronted Trump during a September 9 dinner at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab in D.C., voicing opposition to his crackdown as the original emergency order neared its end.
Trump’s post also veered into unrelated territory, asserting that falling crime rates in Memphis were due to his intervention—despite no deployment of National Guard troops there—illustrating the expansive scope of his self-attributed successes.
The White House and Bowser’s office have been reached for comment, but no immediate responses were available.
As the standoff intensifies, Trump’s threat of federalization underscores deepening partisan divides over local control, immigration enforcement, and urban safety in the heart of American governance.
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