President Donald Trump’s federalization of Washington, D.C., this month led to more chaos on Wednesday as federal agents swarmed a car over a routine insurance violation, according to a CNN reporter.
On Monday, Trump cited a public safety crisis involving violent crime and homelessness in the nation's capital as justification for taking over its law enforcement operations. He ordered hundreds of National Guard members to D.C. to boost existing law enforcement and patrol key areas, and placed the Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control.
The move has been widely criticized by experts as a soft-launch of martial law, and led to fears it could create chaos in the city, with large law enforcement responses to routine infractions.
CNN reporter Gabe Cohen shared one such instance on Wednesday afternoon.
Anchor Boris Sanchez told Cohen that the president demanded that Congress act, with National Guard troops patrolling D.C. streets. That led to scenes of military Humvees parked right outside the Washington Monument.
"And, Gabe, the president also just raised questions about the crime data that's being gathered here in D.C. He, without presenting firm evidence, called it bogus," said Sanchez.
"Yeah, that's right. Frankly, the president made a lot of news during that event," said Cohen, noting that the president's wild crime claims fly in the face of actual data.
"Data from the local police department shows that over the past couple of years, violent crime has really been declining at a pretty rapid pace — even after an alarming and significant spike back in 2023," he said. "But the president today saying that that data is not to be trusted — essentially, that the books have been cooked."
Elsewhere in the interview, Cohen shared an anecdote about Trump's federalization.
"Today, I will note, we have been seeing this U.S. Park Police helicopter circling the National Mall for hours, and we just watched a traffic stop a few minutes ago right behind us here. Park Police, along with five vehicles from Homeland Security, pulled somebody over. The driver said it was an insurance issue. I spoke with her—they released her and just towed the car away," he said.
"But it shows the presence of federal law enforcement, and folks in D.C. better get used to it, because, as you said, the president is talking about extending this potentially through executive order—though it’s possible he will also turn to Congress for approval."
Watch the clip below or at this link.