Articles

# President Trump Is Delivering on His Campaign Promise to Make D.C. Safe Again

The White House
August 12, 2025

President Donald J. Trump’s executive action to restore law and order to Washington, D.C. makes good on his campaign pledge to dismantle the rampant crime crisis and transform our nation’s capital from a “nightmare of murder and crime” into the safest and most beautiful city in the world.

President Trump made the promise no fewer than 20 times:

- January 19, 2025: “We will rebuild our once-great cities, including our capital in Washington, D.C., making them safe, clean, and beautiful again — and we want to make this city again safe. We don’t want people coming to Washington and getting mugged, shot, killed. We’re going to stop it. Law enforcement — and they have very good police here, but they have to be allowed to do their job. We’re going to stop it. We’re going to beautify it. We’re going to make it the most beautiful capital in the world.”
- November 4, 2024: “We will rebuild our cities — including our capital in Washington, D.C. — making them safe, clean, and beautiful again.”
- October 30, 2024: “We will rebuild our cities — including our capital in Washington, D.C., which is in horrible shape — making them safe, clean, and beautiful again.”
- October 22, 2024: “But the problem with Washington, D.C. — it’s too dangerous. We’re going to clean that city up and we’re going to make it great and we’re going to make it safe so you can go down and you can see the Washington Monument, you can go see Honest Abe, and you can see Thomas Jefferson.”
- August 19, 2024: “You don’t want to be mugged or shot or killed in our capital, which has become very unsafe. It’s horribly run, graffiti stained, and we’re going to fix it very quickly and beautifully. We’re going to make it the most beautiful capital anywhere in the world — and we’re going to make it totally safe.”
- August 3, 2024: “We will take over the horribly run capital of our nation in Washington, D.C., and clean it up, renovate it, rebuild our capital city so that it’s no longer a nightmare of murder and crime. We’re going to stop the murder and crime.”
- July 9, 2024: “We will take over the horribly run capital of our nation in Washington, D.C., and clean it up, renovate it, and rebuild our capital city so that it’s no longer a nightmare of murder and crime, but rather it will become the most beautiful capital anywhere in the world… We’re going to take over our capital and we’re going to run it tough and smart.”
- June 18, 2024: “We will take over the horribly run capital of our nation in Washington, D.C., and clean up, renovate and rebuild our capital city so that it no longer is a nightmare of murder and crime… It’s a horrible thing taking place in the capital. We’re going to take it over. It’s going to be run properly.”
- May 18, 2024: “We will take over the horribly run capital of our nation, Washington, D.C. — it’s like a murder capital of the world — and clean up, renovate, and rebuild our wonderful capital so that it no longer is a nightmare of murder and crime, but rather, it will become the most beautiful capital anywhere in the world.”
- March 2, 2024: “We will also take over the horribly run capital of our nation in Washington D.C., and clean it up, renovate it, and rebuild our capital city — get rid of the slums — so that it is no longer a nightmare of murder and crime, but rather it will become the most beautiful capital anywhere in the world.”
- January 27, 2024: “We will take over our horribly run capital of our nation in Washington D.C., and clean it up, renovate it, rebuild our capital so that it’s no longer a nightmare of murder and crime, but rather it will become the most beautiful capital anywhere in the world, which it was once before… We’re going to take over Washington D.C. — we’re going to federalize it. We’re going to have the toughest law enforcement in the country. We’re not going to have any more crime and it’s going to look beautiful.”
- January 20, 2024: “We will take over the horribly run capital of our nation in Washington, D.C., and clean it up, renovate it, rebuild it. It’ll be a capital like no other… We’re going to take it over, we’re going to federalize it, and we’re going to run it.”
- January 17, 2024: “We’re going to clean up Washington, D.C., and we’re going to make it a crime-free zone. There’s not going to be any crime. We’re going to have laws, but we’re going to have to take it over. We’re going to federalize it. We’re going to take it over. We’re going to run it, and we’re going to run it properly, and we’re going to run it very, very strongly… We’re going to take it back, and we’re going to get rid of the crime, and we’re going to fix it up, clean it up, and we’re going to make it the most beautiful capital in the world and the safest capital in the world.”
- January 5, 2024: “We’re also going to federalize Washington D.C. It’s become hell on earth. Three people were killed last night. People are being shot every day in Washington D.C. Graffiti all over the beautiful white marble column, slum areas that are so bad you can’t walk through them — but you can’t even walk through the best areas without being molested or shot, beat up by thugs. We’re going to take over Washington D.C., and we’re going to make it great again. We’re going to make it beautiful and safe.”
- October 31, 2023: “Washington, D.C., our once beautiful capital, has become a dirty, crime-ridden death trap that must be taken over and properly run by the federal government. It is, and will be, part of my election platform. We will clean it, renovate it, rebuild it, and most importantly, we will make it safe. Right now, it is probably the most unsafe capital city anywhere in the world.”
- September 15, 2023: “Washington, as you know, has some very serious problems with crime with muggings and killings and fights and a lot of problems, and we’re going to do something about Washington. We’re going to bring in the federal government. We’re going to federalize it. We’re going to run it properly, clean it, make it safe.”
- June 7, 2023: “We’re going to take over D.C. and federalize it, and we’re going to have a great capital. You can’t walk down the street in D.C. People are being shot every single day… We have to have a capital that when people go there, they feel safe.”
- April 18, 2023: “Our once-great cities have become unlivable, unsanitary nightmares, surrendered to the homeless, the drug addicted, and the violent and dangerously deranged… We will open up our cities again, make them livable, and make them beautiful.”
- March 4, 2023: “All of us have seen too many videos of 13-year-old carjackers and 14-year-old hoodlums viciously beating their victims… My administration will crack down on these out-of-control monsters — young though they may be — and impose tough consequences on juvenile criminals … I will end the scourge of homelessness taking over our cities and suburbs… Frankly, the federal government should take over control and management of Washington, D.C. — a good project because it’s horrible.”
- February 20, 2023: “In cities where there has been a complete breakdown of law and order, where the fundamental rights of our citizens are being intolerably violated, I will not hesitate to send in federal assets — including the National Guard — until safety is restored.”

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