President Donald Trump drew the ire of elected officials in Maryland.

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

Elected leaders in Maryland are keeping a close eye on what is going on in DC after President Donald Trump federalized the nation's capital, citing questionable crime statistics.

"Liberation Day," as the president declared Monday, Aug. 11, continued Trump's efforts to federally take over the District, calling it "one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world," though DC is reportedly at a new crime low since the pandemic.

"The Administration’s actions are unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful," Attorney General Brian Schwalb said.

"There is no crime emergency in the District of Columbia," he continued. "Violent crime in DC reached historic 30-year lows last year, and is down another 26 percent so far this year."

"We are considering all of our options and will do what is necessary to protect the rights and safety of District residents."

In neighboring Maryland, elected officials are keeping a close eye on what is going on in DC. 

“Donald Trump has personally incited more crime in Washington DC than perhaps anyone else living. He pardoned the violent criminals who attacked our Capitol on Jan. 6 and put them back in American communities," the National Capital Region Delegation, which is comprised of officials in Maryland and northern Virginia, stated. 

"He even made a man who was filmed urging the crowd to kill DC police officers a senior adviser at the Justice Department." 

During his celebration tour after making his temporary takeover of DC official, Trump also took a shot at Baltimore — as well as other major Democratic cities — calling crime in Charm City "so far gone that we don't even mention (them anymore)." 

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott took umbrage at the claim, and shared some facts about Baltimore's crime issues being historically low in a lengthy statement targeting the president's actions, calling the move and bluster "the latest effort to distract from the issues he should be focused on — including the roller coaster of the US economy, thanks to his politics."

"When it comes to public safety in Baltimore, he should turn off the right-wing propaganda and look at the facts." 

Scott called the city the safest it has been in decades, with homicides down 28 percent in 2025, "reaching the lowest level of any year on record." 

"We still have real work to do to build on this progress — but that work starts and ends here in Baltimore, with the local, state, and federal partners who have gotten us this far." 

Elected officials, led by Scott and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, issued a joint statement on behalf of the representatives of Baltimore City and the State of Maryland.

"The President mentioned Baltimore by name in his remarks, and made it clear that he intends to deploy the National Guard to other cities across the country," they wrote. 

"As leaders in Baltimore and the state of Maryland, we stand in strong opposition to the President’s latest power grab, which is based on pure lies about our communities." 

Moore also called the president's decision "deeply dangerous." 

"President Trump's decision to mobilize the National Guard to conduct municipal policing in DC lacks seriousness and is deeply dangerous," he said. "We await outreach from the White House if they want to have a serious conversation about public safety." 

"But we won’t hold our breath."

The leaders made note that homicides are reportedly down 40 percent since 2021, "even as the Trump administration has slashed funding for the programs that have brought crime to record lows." 

"If the President of the United States was actually interested in reducing violence, he would look to local leaders as an example, rather than federalizing troops to take over our cities."

The Democratic Mayors Association also called out Trump over the federal intervention.

"The President’s announcement this morning is an unserious and unacceptable publicity stunt," officials added. 

"If he wants to reduce crime in the District of Columbia, he should focus on getting his Republican allies in Congress to restore the funding they arbitrarily stripped out of the city’s budget, which risks cuts to law enforcement and other public safety measures.”