Law and Order, Trump Style

On August 11, 2025, President Donald Trump declared a public safety emergency in Washington, D.C., deploying roughly 800 National Guard troops to the capital and seizing operational control of the Metropolitan Police Department. He cast the move as a necessary strike against violent crime and homelessness.

Although official statistics show crime was already trending downward before the deployment, the White House has promoted the action as proof of decisive leadership. The deployment has become part of Trump’s broader strategy: using federal authority in Democratic-led cities to project strength on law and order.

The Metropolitan Police Department has been under strain for years. Staffing is down nearly 1,000 officers compared to a decade ago, recruitment lags behind attrition, and morale has been battered by strained community-police relations. Earlier surges in carjackings, gun violence, and youth crime left the force stretched thin, even as budget limits reduced overtime.

Public frustration has been compounded by crime on the Washington Metro system. Riders have faced rising assaults, robberies, and fare evasion on trains and in stations. Metro officials report late-night ridership has dropped sharply, with safety fears keeping commuters away. Trump has repeatedly pointed to Metro crime as evidence that “Washington is out of control.” For supporters of the Guard intervention, its presence on and around the transit system symbolized much-needed reassurance. Critics counter that lasting safety requires investments in transit police and infrastructure, not soldiers with rifles.

Homelessness has also been drawn into the debate. Guard units have supported federal officers in clearing encampments near Union Station and freeway underpasses, relocating some residents to shelters while arresting others on outstanding warrants. Backers see the sweeps as restoring public spaces and addressing long-standing frustrations. Detractors argue they criminalize poverty without tackling root causes like housing affordability, addiction treatment, and mental health care.

Still, results have been noticeable. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, initially skeptical, acknowledged that violent crime and carjackings dropped by as much as 87 percent in the first three weeks. The city’s police union called the deployment a “critical stop-gap” for an overwhelmed department. A national AP-NORC poll found that 53 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s crime strategy, making the Guard deployment significantly more popular than his earlier immigration enforcement actions. His ICE directives—expanding courthouse arrests and deportation sweeps—sparked protests and drew majority opposition. By contrast, the Guard plan has drawn bipartisan backing, with many independents and some Democrats supporting it as a straightforward public safety measure.

Civil liberties groups warn of dangerous precedent. Nineteen Democratic governors issued a joint statement calling Trump’s threats to send troops into states without consent an “alarming abuse of power.” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has sued, arguing the federal takeover violates the city’s Home Rule Act and undermines self-government. Experts stress that Guard troops are not trained for civilian policing, raising risks of misconduct and normalizing military involvement in local life.

Supporters counter that residents care less about constitutional nuances than about feeling safe in their neighborhoods and on their commutes. For them, the numbers—fewer robberies, fewer carjackings, safer Metro rides—speak louder than legal theory.

Los Angeles has already experienced Trump’s federal approach. In June, more than 4,000 California National Guard members and 700 Marines were deployed into the city without Governor Gavin Newsom’s consent. State officials denounced the move as unlawful, but Trump pressed forward. By mid-July, about 2,000 troops were withdrawn, only for Trump to order another 90-day activation in early August. California is fighting the deployment in court, even as parts of Los Angeles remain under federal control.

Attention is now turning to New York. Administration officials have suggested that the city, with its high-profile subway crime and public housing struggles, is “very likely” the next target for intervention. Trump has repeatedly criticized Mayor Eric Adams for allowing “chaos” to spread, and insiders hint that a deployment could come as early as this fall. If it happens, it would set off another showdown between federal authority and state sovereignty, this time on the nation’s largest urban stage.

The use of National Guard troops in Washington is more than a law-and-order maneuver; it is a constitutional stress test, pitting executive power against local control and immediate results against long-term principles. Critics see a creeping normalization of military force in civilian life, with homelessness and public disorder being managed at gunpoint rather than through policy. But for many Americans, weary of crime and frustrated by ineffective local leadership, Trump’s approach has the virtue of at least taking action. something residents say their local governments have failed to deliver.

Lou Shapiro is a criminal defense attorney-certified specialist and legal analyst, but most importantly, makes the end-of-shul announcements at Adas Torah.

He can be reached at LouisJShapiro@gmail.com.