WASHINGTON ― As President Donald Trump takes over Washington DC's police force and brings in the National Guard, he isn't just talking about clearing homeless camps and reducing the murder rate.

He wants to rip out and replace the grass at DC parks.

"We're going to be redoing the parks, redoing the grass," Trump said on Aug. 13 as he named the latest slate of Kennedy Center honorees from Washington's John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. "You know, grass has a lifetime, like people have a lifetime. And the lifetime of this grass is long. It's been gone, when you look at the parks."

Trump's push for a grass makeover comes as he's vowed not only to tackle crime in the nation's capital but to also make DC "so beautiful again." Echoing the language of his long career in real estate, Trump has talked about DC like he might a fixer-upper property. He wants graffiti painted over, litter picked up and ‒ yes ‒ grass replaced at parks.

"The grass is old, tired, exhausted," Trump said. "We're going to be redoing the grass with the finest grasses. I know a lot about grass because I own a lot of golf courses. And if you don't have good grass, you're not in business very long."

Trump did not identify the parks he has in mind for grass replacement. Several of DC's most recognizable parks, including the National Mall, are federal parks managed by the National Park Service. Others are local parks managed by DC's Department of Parks and Recreation.

Washington DC is in the middle of a dry spell, making grass around town browner and barer than usual. For the past five years, Washington DC, has been named the nation's best big-city park system by the nonprofit Trust for Public Land.

Trump to ask Congress to extend police takeover beyond 30 days

Trump on Aug. 11 took control of Washington DC's Metropolitan Police Department by declaring a "crime emergency" under the Home Rule Act of 1973, even as the city's violent crime has dropped by 26% this year. He also deployed 800 National Guard troops to DC, declaring he wants to rescue it from "crime, bloodshed, bedlam, squalor and worse."

Under the Home Rule Act, however, Trump's federal takeover of the police department must end within 30 days unless he gets approval from Congress.

Trump said he plans to submit crime-related legislation to Congress "very quickly" that will include extending the federalized police force in DC beyond 30 days. He said he expects unanimous Republican support for the measure.

"We're going to be asking for extensions on that ‒ long-term extensions ‒ because you can't have (just) 30 days," he said.

Trump also scoffed at Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's continued support to make the District of Columbia the nation's 51st state, an idea backed by many Democrats that would require support from Congress.

“Statehood is ridiculous. We want to straighten the place out," Trump said, adding that Democrats only want DC to become a state so they can add two Democratic seats in the Senate. "It's not going to happen."

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Trump targets Washington DC's 'old, tired, exhausted' grass amid takeover

Reporting by Joey Garrison, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect