Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) praised President Donald Trump's federal takeover of Washington, D.C., as the Trump administration claims the local government of the District of Columbia has lost control of public order and safety in the city following the assassinations of two U.S. Embassy staffers in May.
Rep. Donalds stated, “Washington, DC is a VIOLENT CITY. Democrats are defending lawlessness. No matter how hard they try, Democrats can’t gaslight people who live in a violent city into believing their lived-experiences aren’t true.”
He also referred to ABC’s coverage of Trump’s declaration, saying, “They’ve now even LOST THE LEGACY MEDIA.”
The White House released a press conference in which Trump announced that he will mobilize the District of Columbia National Guard to regain control of the capital.
“As President of the United States and Commander in Chief of the District of Columbia National Guard, it is my solemn duty to protect law-abiding citizens from the destructive forces of criminal activity. Pursuant to my authority under the Constitution and laws of the United States and the District of Columbia, I direct the Secretary of Defense to mobilize the District of Columbia National Guard and order members to active service, in such numbers as he deems necessary, to address the epidemic of crime in our Nation’s capital.” White House officials said.
Opposition to the president’s call comes from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who criticized the Trump administration’s decision, calling it “unsettling and unprecedented.”
She continued arguing for Washington, D.C.’s statehood after Trump said he has decided to place the city’s Metropolitan Police Department “under direct federal control.”
However, she did acknowledge that the president’s decision wasn’t completely unexpected and that “I don’t want to minimize what was said, and I don’t want to minimize the intrusion on our autonomy, I will govern in a way that makes you proud.”
Joining in with Rep. Donalds, D.C. Police Union Chairman Greggory Pemberton agrees with President Trump on the rhetoric that crime is out of control in DC and that “something needs to be done.”
“The fact that we need help from federal law enforcement and maybe even the National Guard should not come as a surprise. We agree with that,” he said in an interview with Fox News.
Donalds released another statement on the mobilization of the National Guard in D.C., where he said, “President Trump is on board, the Cabinet is on board, Congress is on board, the D.C. Police Union is on board. It's time to MAKE DC SAFE AGAIN.”
