U.S. President Donald Trump paid a visit to Washington, D.C., police and U.S. military members on Thursday after earlier promising he would join officers on their evening patrol of the city’s streets.
Trump told several hundred uniformed personnel gathered at the U.S. Park Police Anacostia Operations Facility that their efforts were leading to a drop in crime, without citing evidence.
“It’s like a different place,” he said at the facility, which serves as a headquarters for the southeast section of Washington. “Everybody is safe now.”
“We’re going to have the best capital ever,” he vowed.
Trump was joined by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, his White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, architect of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Standing outside the U.S. Park Police facility as Trump arrived were approximately 300 men and women with various agencies, including DEA, ATF, US Marshals, National Guard and the FBI. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum were also on hand, as well as U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro.
Trump said he came to thank National Guard troops, and he talked about efforts to quickly reduce crime as well as removing graffiti, fixing medians and repairing roads. He said he would ask Congress for additional funding to help with those efforts.
“The graffiti is going to come down real fast,” he said.
He later handed out pizza to the officers and National Guard members alongside administration officials.
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Earlier Thursday, Trump told Newsmax reporter Todd Starnes in an interview on his radio show that “I’m going to be going out tonight, I think, with the police and with the military.”
The White House would not say if that meant Trump would join officers and troops on patrols.
Last week, Trump deployed thousands of troops to the city and federalized its police department because he says crime and homelessness are rampant in the nation’s capital.
Police statistics show homicides, robberies and burglaries are down this year when compared with this time in 2024 — overall, violent crime is down 26 per cent compared with this time a year ago.
On Wednesday, U.S. Vice-President JD Vance was greeted by a wave of boos and heckles as he, Miller and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived at an event for National Guard troops deployed in Washington.
One onlooker can be heard shouting, “F–k you, Pete, f–king Nazi.”
“Get out of my city,” another person yelled.
In a post on X on Thursday, Vance wrote “Make DC Safe Again” above a picture of himself and officials walking through Union Station.
During his visit he told troops, “We appreciate everything you’re doing.… You guys bust your asses all day, we give you a hamburger, not a fair trade but we’re grateful for everything you guys do.”
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, asked by reporters earlier on Thursday if the city was safer now, said the capital has seen a decrease in crime for the last two years.
“We expect that having 500 additional officers will yield more arrests, and we want guns off the streets. Our police officers continue to do the work, and we expect some incremental difference with more officers,” she said.
— With files from Reuters
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