WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Monday he is placing Washington, D.C.'s police department under federal control and deploying the National Guard to the city as he escalates his criticism of what he’s characterized as unsafe and run-down conditions in the nation’s capital.

“I'm announcing an historic action to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse," Trump declared during a news conference at the White House. "This is liberation day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back."

What You Need To Know • President Donald Trump announced he is putting the Washington, D.C. police department under federal control and will deploy the national guard to the city as he escalates his criticism of what he’s characterized as unsafe and run

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