President Trump plans to move homeless people “very far away” from Washington, DC, to make the city “more beautiful”.
“I will make our capital safer and more beautiful than ever before. The homeless must leave, immediately. We will provide you with housing, but far away from the capital,” US President Donald Trump wrote on social media on August 10.
The White House chief also said authorities would “quickly put” criminals in jail in the city. “It’s going to be very fast,” he said.
US President Donald Trump at the White House on August 9. Photo: AP
The US President also announced a press conference on August 11, during which he is expected to announce his plans for the capital Washington.
The capital Washington is currently run by the District of Columbia government under the supervision of the US Congress.
However, President Trump has long been openly dissatisfied with this organization. He has threatened to federalize the city, stripping it of its autonomy and placing it under the control of the federal government, as well as giving the White House the final say on how it is run.
Washington, D.C., ranked 15th among major U.S. cities in terms of homeless population last year. The number is down from pre-Covid-19 levels, but thousands still spend the night in shelters or on the streets.
Earlier this week, President Trump warned that he would deploy the National Guard to crack down on crime in Washington, DC, citing rising crime rates in the city.
Violent crime in the US capital fell 26% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, according to police statistics. Figures released by the US Department of Justice before Mr. Trump took office showed the city’s crime rate in 2024 was at its lowest in three decades.
“We are not experiencing any increase in crime,” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser stressed. She did not criticize President Trump, but noted that “any comparison to the city being like a war-torn country is exaggerated and untrue.”
The National Guard alert comes weeks after President Trump deployed the force to Los Angeles to quell protests against deportation of immigrants.
The White House boss has recently frequently hinted at the possibility of using the military to control American cities, many of which are controlled by Democrats and oppose the policies pursued by the US President.
