(Washington) Donald Trump announced new measures on Monday in order to strengthen security in Washington, while the National Guard soldiers began weapons in the streets of the American capital.
On August 11, the American president had placed the maintenance of order in Washington under the authority of his administration and had deployed members of the National Guard, a reserve body of the American armed forces.
He said the Federal Capital of the United States was “invaded by violent gangs” and that he wanted to “clean up”.
On Monday, the Republican President asked his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, to create a specialized unit within the National Guard “responsible for ensuring order and security in the capital of the country”.
Photo Jonathan Ernst, Reuters
The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth
He also announced the recruitment of additional police and prosecutors in Washington.
In a second decree, this time he attacked unit, common in Washington.
This system allows those arrested by the police to be released while waiting for their trial without having to pay a deposit, as required in most American states.
The president thus asked the authorities to ensure that those arrested in the capital are placed in “as much as possible” detention and to continue them at the federal level.
These measures will guarantee that “criminals, which represent a threat to security, are not released before a trial,” wrote Donald Trump.
The day before, the military of the National Guard had started to carry weapons in the capital.
Photo Brian Snyder, Reuters
Members of the Ohio National Guard carry their handguns when they patrol the district of Logan Circle, Washington on August 24, 2025.
However, they are only allowed to use force “as a last resort,” said the army.
The more than 2,200 National Guard soldiers mobilized in the capital come mainly from Washington as well as from republican states such as Virginia-Western, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee.
The Democrat mayor of Washington, Muriel Bowser, refuted an outbreak of violence in the streets of the city, ensuring that it is “at its lowest level in 30 years”.
James Comer, an influential elected Republican at the Congress, announced on Monday that the parliamentary committee he leads would launch an investigation into accusations of manipulation of crime statistics in Washington.
He said that a whistleblower with “direct knowledge” of the facts told this commission that senior Washington police officials “fired largely” delinquency figures in the city.
