Donald Trump’s recent announcement regarding policing in the United States has sparked renewed calls for his impeachment from critics.
On Monday, August 11, the president revealed an aggressive plan to address what he perceives as rampant crime in Washington, D.C., following meetings with officials aimed at making the capital “safer and more beautiful.”
Trump emphasized there would be no more leniency in his comprehensive approach to tidying up the streets, which includes an immediate directive for the homeless to relocate.
“Before the tents, squalor, filth, and Crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the World. It will soon be that again,” he shared on his Truth Social platform.
This announcement has raised concerns about the potential deployment of the National Guard in a forceful manner, similar to what was seen in Los Angeles during protests against immigration raids.
These concerns were validated when Trump declared a ‘public safety emergency’ in Washington, labeling the city a ‘sanctuary for illegal alien criminals’ and lamenting its high crime rate, which he claimed surpassed that of cities like Bogotá or Mexico City, despite official data showing a significant reduction in violent crime over the past three decades.
The president, 79, invoked section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, initiating federal control over the DC Metropolitan police.
There is widespread alarm over what many perceive as a dangerous precedent set by Trump’s statement that officers can “do whatever the hell they want” when faced with hostility.
During the press conference, Trump asserted: “That’s the only language they [alleged criminals] understand. They like to spit in the face of the police. You spit, and we hit, and they can hit real hard.”
“It’s a disgusting thing, I’ve watched that for years – police are told, ‘don’t do anything’ and people are spitting in their face and they’re not allowed to do anything, but now they are allowed to do whatever the hell they want,” Trump continued.
Reddit users have reacted to the news with alarm, branding the plan as sinister and indicative of a “Trump police state.”
One commenter expressed their outrage, stating: “Wow, what an evil b***ard. F*** you, Trump voters.”
Another comment suggested an immediate need for impeachment, while others worried the plan could lead to state violence against citizens.
“Trump is normalizing the idea that police are so routinely the victims of physical abuse that they need extra special permission to break some skulls.”
“At NO POINT have police been told, ‘you have to let citizens spit on you.’ It’s simply not a thing that has ever happened. To use it as justification to crank up state violence is a taking.”
“It’s not a slippery slope. It’s a road map,” they commented further.
Trump maintains that his actions are necessary for the “historic action” to “rescue” DC from “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse,” declaring: “This is liberation day in DC and we’re going to take our capital back.”
The federal takeover is set to last 30 days, with the deployment of 800 National Guard troops throughout the city.