Join Jed Rubenfeld and political columnist Matthew Continetti live today at 3 p.m. for a conversation about the legal and political ramifications of Trump’s D.C. takeover. This livestream is available for paid subscribers, so be sure to subscribe to join the conversation.
Declaring yet another emergency—this time a crime emergency in the nation’s capital—President Donald Trump has seized control of the District of Columbia’s police department and promised to deploy 800 National Guardsmen there as well.
According to Trump, “Crime is out of control in the District of Columbia” and “urgently endangers public servants,” with a “dire impact on the Federal Government’s ability to operate efficiently.” According to D.C.’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, there is “no crime emergency” in the capital, and Trump’s actions are “unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful.”
Are Trump’s actions “unlawful”? It may seem hard to believe that the president can take armed control of an American city. But because of peculiarities in the way the District of Columbia is governed, Trump has more power over D.C. than any other city in the United States, and he seems to be well within his legal authority—for now.
