In a bold statement, President Donald Trump has issued a demand for homeless individuals to “move out” of Washington, D.C., while vowing to improve safety in the city.
The remarks, delivered via his social media platform Truth Social, have sparked controversy and prompted pushback from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
On Sunday, Trump posted, “The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong.”
He accompanied his statements with images of tents and garbage throughout the capital, emphasizing his intention to reclaim the city.
“There will be no ‘MR. NICE GUY.’ We want our Capital BACK. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.
Although Trump’s commitment to addressing homelessness has been previously voiced, specific details of his current plan remain unclear.
In a 2022 speech, he suggested relocating homeless individuals to “high-quality” tents situated on affordable land away from urban centers, along with offering them access to bathroom facilities and medical assistance.
His recent comments follow a White House directive to deploy federal law enforcement officers to address what he characterized as drastically increasing crime rates in the area.
Last Saturday, it was reported that up to 450 federal officers, including personnel from the U.S. Park Police, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and U.S. Marshals Service, were sent into Washington, D.C.
This decision came in the wake of a violent incident in which a former government employee was assaulted during an alleged attempted carjacking.
Trump publicly condemned the assault, highlighting it in his social media communications.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bowser defended the city’s current safety record during an appearance on MSNBC.
She stated, “We are not experiencing a crime spike,” referring to efforts made over the last two years to reduce violent crime in the district.
Bowser remarked, “It is true that we had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023. We have spent over the last two years driving down violent crime in this city, driving it down to a 30-year low.”
The Mayor also criticized White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller’s comparison of Washington, D.C., to Baghdad, labeling it as hyperbolic and exaggerated.
“Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false,” Bowser said, defending her city against such claims.
Despite the decrease in overall violent crime in the past year, the homicide rate in Washington, D.C., has been a point of contention, with 98 homicides recorded thus far in the current year.
Federal data indicates that when factoring in incidents like carjackings, assaults, and robberies, D.C. experienced its lowest overall violent crime figures in three decades last year.
As the community awaits further details, Trump has announced a forthcoming press conference at the White House, where he will outline his administration’s strategy to combat violence in the nation’s capital.
With ongoing discussions surrounding homelessness and crime, the dynamic between local and federal leadership continues to evolve.
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