President Donald Trump is set to hold a news conference on Monday, which he claims will significantly address violent crime in Washington, D.C. Trump has promoted the event through several posts on his social media platform, stating it will also focus on cleanliness and the overall condition of the capital.

In a recent post, Trump expressed his views on homelessness in the city, stating, "The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital." He accompanied this message with images of homeless encampments he observed while traveling from the White House to his golf club in Sterling, Virginia. He added, "The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong."

This news conference follows Trump's directive last week to increase law enforcement presence in D.C. as part of an executive order aimed at making the city "Safe and Beautiful." A White House official described this initiative as a "whole of government approach to improve overall public safety," emphasizing that law enforcement will focus on high-traffic tourist areas and other known hotspots. The official noted that federal officers will be easily identifiable in marked units.

Trump criticized D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, stating she has not effectively reduced crime rates despite being given multiple opportunities. He remarked, "The Mayor of D.C., Muriel Bowser, is a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the Crime Numbers get worse, and the City only gets dirtier and less attractive. The American Public is not going to put up with it any longer."

However, preliminary crime statistics from Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department indicate that overall crime in D.C. has decreased by 7% compared to last year, with violent crime down 26% and property crime reduced by 5%. Bowser responded to Trump's claims, stating that the city has worked diligently over the past two years to lower violent crime rates to a 30-year low. "It is true that we had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023, this is 2025, and we've done that by working with the community, working with the police, working with our prosecutors, and, in fact, working with the federal government," she said.

On Saturday, Trump described Washington, D.C., as “one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World.” He has previously threatened to deploy the National Guard to the city and suggested a federal takeover in response to rising crime. This statement followed an incident where Edward Coristine, a former Department of Government Efficiency employee, was assaulted while attempting to intervene in a carjacking.

Trump stated, "So whether you call it federalize or what. And that also includes the graffiti that you see, the papers all over the place, the roads that are in bad shape, the medians that are falling down. We’re going to beautify the city. We’re going to make it beautiful. And, what a shame. Rate of crime, the rate of muggings, killings and everything else. We're not going to let it. And that includes bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the administration's commitment to addressing crime in the capital, stating, "Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long. President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. There will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C. President Trump is committed to making our Nation’s capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world."

The upcoming law enforcement initiative will be led by the U.S. Park Police and will involve personnel from various agencies, including the Metro Transit Police Department, Amtrak Police Department, United States Capitol Police, and others, according to a White House official.