Trump thanks officers and National Guard troops in D.C. stop

President Donald Trump visited law enforcement officers and National Guard troops in D.C. on Thursday, reiterating his pledge to pursue similar crime crackdowns in Democratic-led cities.

Speaking at a U.S. Park Police facility in Southeast Washington, Trump suggested he plans to extend the federal presence in D.C. and thanked law enforcement officers and troops, many of whom have arrived in Washington from Republican-led states.

“We’re not playing games. We’re going to make it safe, and we’re going to then go on to other places,” he said. “But we’re going to stay here for a while. We want to make this absolutely perfect. It’s our capital.”

About 300 officers representing the FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; National Guard; Homeland Security Investigations; and D.C. police were in the crowd as Trump thanked them for their hard work then discussed a variety of topics — including his desire to bring back fossil fuels and improve the grass in D.C. parks to resemble Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

“One of the things we’re going to be redoing is your parks. I’m very good at grass because I have a lot of golf courses all over the place,” Trump said. “And we’re going to be re-grassing all of your parks, all brand new sprinkler systems, the best that you can buy, just like Augusta. … It’ll look like, more importantly, Trump National Golf Club.”

Trump was joined by several Cabinet officials, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, as well as D.C. Police Chief Pamela A. Smith and top officials with the D.C. police department.

Earlier this month, Trump ordered a federal takeover of the D.C. police force, an extraordinary flex of federal power and part of his wide-reaching effort to make his mark on deep-blue U.S. cities, which he has described as chaotic dystopias in need of occupation.

Trump and administration officials have often exaggerated perceptions of the state of crime in the city as well as other major cities led by Democrats. Violent crime in D.C. has declined since 2023, with 2024 marking the District’s lowest violent crime levels in decades.

Over the past week, the Trump administration has repeatedly taken credit for bringing down crime in the nation’s capital, touting the number of arrests made daily and arguing the surge in federal law enforcement is making the city safer.

“I think now, right now, it’s better than it has been in years,” Trump said at the Park Police facility in Anacostia. “And in a couple of weeks it’s going to be even far better than that. And everybody’s safe now. Everybody feels safe.”

Speaking to reporters Thursday morning, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said the city’s police department had overseen significant drops in violent crime before the Trump administration’s actions.

“Our police department has been consistently precipitously driving down crime for the last two years,” she said at a news conference, calling the D.C. police department’s work “effective.”

As Trump ended his talk Thursday, stacks of pizzas from Wiseguy Pizza, a local business, and hamburgers prepared by the White House were distributed to law enforcement officers. Meanwhile, a few people gathered on the corner of Marion Barry Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE to protest or watch in case Trump followed through on the plan he announced to patrol alongside police and military.

In an interview earlier in the day with conservative talk show host Todd Starnes, Trump said “I’m going to be going out tonight with the police and with the military, of course.”

Some protesters brought pots, pans and spoons in their backpacks, prepared to bang them together and make their anger at Trump’s federal law enforcement surge known.

“He’ll see that it’s a beautiful day on MLK, that’s it,” said Nee Nee Taylor, a native of Southeast Washington and co-founder of Free DC. “Maybe he’ll see the Go-Go Museum. Maybe he’ll go to Grounded and have a cup of coffee.”

But Trump never patrolled. Instead, he returned to the White House.