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President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to federalize Washington, D.C., in response to youth violence that is “totally out of control,” calling for local minors and gang members over the age of 14 to be prosecuted as adults.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said local youth and gang members are “randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released.”
The president said it appears the suspects are “not afraid” of the police, “because they know nothing ever happens to them.”
The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., said there were 82 carjackings in 2023, with 63% of them involving guns and only 14 arrests. (Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Trump said D.C. laws must be changed to allow minors to be prosecuted as adults.
“Washington, D.C., must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see,” he wrote in the post. “If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore.”
A Metropolitan Police Department car drives through a Washington D.C. neighborhood. (Al Drago for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Along with the post, Trump shared a photo of what appears to be a man bloodied on the street following an attack.
“The most recent victim was beaten mercilessly by local thugs,” Trump wrote. “… Perhaps it should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of Violent Crime. If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
In May, affiliate FOX 5 D.C. reported that a large group of teens took over a Navy Yard park, leading to several arrests and one hospitalization.
President Donald Trump threatened to federalize D.C. to address recent violence. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)
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In July, congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, a 16-year-old boy and a woman were shot in what appeared to be a drive-by shooting. Tarpinian-Jachym later died.
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In April, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was walking to the Navy Yard Metro Station when his staff member told him a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority police officer had been stabbed in the face.
Fox News Digital’s Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.