WASHINGTON >> President Donald Trump said today he was deploying 800 National Guard troops to the U.S. capital and putting Washington’s police department under federal control to combat what he said was a wave of lawlessness, despite statistics showing that violent crime hit a 30-year low in 2024.

“I’m deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety in Washington, D.C.,” Trump told reporters at the White House, flanked by administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi. “Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals.”

Trump’s announcement is his latest effort to target Democratic-run cities by exercising executive power over traditionally local matters, and he has shown partic

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