White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller on Thursday compared the nation’s capital to several foreign war zones, as the Trump administration readies plans to deploy an unspecified number of federal law enforcement to parts of the city.
“It is more violent than Baghdad, it is more violent than parts of Ethiopia, and parts of many of the most dangerous places in the world,” Miller told NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network.
Violent crime in the district, however, hit a 30-year low in 2024, including marked decreases in homicides, robberies and armed carjackings compared to 2023.
The White House announced Thursday night that federal law enforcement from various agencies would patrol city streets for the next week. It’s unclear how many officers might be involved or where they might be deployed.
Trump has threatened a federal takeover of Washington repeatedly during his second term, a move that would require the approval of Congress. His administration and Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) have butted heads on matters ranging from the GOP’s withholding of $1 billion in city money to potential damage to the capital’s streets from tanks used in Trump’s military parade that coincided with his 79th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
The announcement comes after Edward Coristine, a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer better known as “Big Balls,” was attacked in an attempted carjacking in Dupont Circle. City police have arrested two 15-year-olds in connection with the incidents.
Trump, after the beating, also pressed the city to update its laws to allow teenagers 14 and older to be prosecuted as adults.
Bowser’s office declined to comment on the issue.
Miller also argued Thursday that forthcoming action from the White House was in the city’s best interest.
“The president’s been very clear that he’s going to take the action necessary to secure the city of Washington for the people who live here, for all the American people who visit here,” he said.
Updated at 9:40 a.m. EDT.
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