U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press about deploying federal law enforcement agents in Washington to bolster the local police presence, in the Press Briefing Room at the White House, in Washington D.C., U.S., August 11, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
President Donald Trump vowed to eradicate "slums" as part of his takeover of Washington, D.C.
During a Monday press conference, Trump announced that he was placing the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia under federal control and threatened to deploy troops,
"We're not going to let it happen," Trump said before pointing out that a former DOGE staffer was recently attacked in a carjacking attempt.
"It's becoming a situation of complete and total lawlessness," he continued. "And we're getting rid of the slums, too. We have slums here. We're getting rid of them. I know it's not politically correct. You'll say, oh, so terrible. No, we're getting rid of the slums where they live."
