On the 21st, U.S. President Donald Trump personally visited the streets of Washington, D.C., emphasizing his personal stance on the rule of law. He inspected the command center to commend law enforcement personnel and thanked them for carrying out his anti-crime policies.
Last week, Trump dispatched National Guard troops and federal agents to Washington. He stated that violent crime is rampant in D.C., so he exercised presidential authority to temporarily take over the Washington police department in a rare move.
That day, Trump told hundreds of military and police personnel gathered at the U.S. Park Police Anacostia Operations Facility that their actions were gradually having an effect in reducing crime rates, though he did not provide evidence. This facility serves as the headquarters for the southeastern area of Washington.
Trump said he came to thank the National Guard and spoke about efforts to rapidly reduce crime as well as efforts to remove graffiti, repair medians, and fix roads. "We will have the best capital city in history, and it will be better than ever before."
Trump also specially brought hamburgers from the White House, as well as "pizza that's not from the White House, but very tasty," to share with frontline troops and law enforcement personnel. During his remarks on site, Trump said: "We are going to celebrate together, and then get back to work." He emphasized his support for frontline personnel and expressed his gratitude through concrete actions.
When asked by reporters whether Washington is now safer, the city's mayor, Muriel Bowser, said that the crime rate in D.C. has already declined over the past two years.