Trump puts DC police department under federal control, deploys National Guard

At an extraordinary news conference on Monday, President Donald Trump revealed plans to take over the Washington, D.C. police department and deploy National Guard troops in the nation’s capital to combat what he says is rampant violent crime that statistics show is actually decreasing.

“We’re here for a very serious purpose. Very serious, very,” Trump said. “Something’s out of control. But we’re going to put it in control very quickly, like we did in the southern border. I’m announcing a historic action to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse. This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back.”

He said he was declaring a public safety emergency in order to put the Washington police department under federal control and station the National Guard on the city’s streets.

Read more: ABC News