Trump orders federal law enforcement to patrol DC after Stephen Miller claims crime in capital ‘more violent than Baghdad’

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President Donald Trump has reportedly ordered federal law enforcement officers to patrol Washington, D.C., as Stephen Miller claimed crime in the capital was “more violent than Baghdad.”

The White House announced that additional officers would be on the streets of D.C. from midnight in what would reportedly begin as a seven-day operation in a bid to clamp down on crime.

“It’s our capital 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,” White House deputy chief of staff Miller told NewsNation Thursday.

Trump has been threatening to federalize the capital all week following an attack on a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer, Edward Coristine.

Trump re-posted the bloodied photo of Coristine on Truth Social Thursday evening and addressed him directly in his post. “Edward: The Crime situation in Washington, just like our Southern Border where ZERO Illegals entered in the last three months, will be a safe place very soon,” Trump wrote. “Thank you for your bravery and heart. Stay tuned!”

Trump has been threatening to federalize the capital all week following an attack on a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer, Edward Coristine. (@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social)

Additional support will come from the D.C. National Guard, FBI, U.S. Marshals, ICE, U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security, according to CBS.

“Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Thursday. “President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C.”

The crackdown in D.C. will reportedly focus on tourist areas and other busy hotspots.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser approved the White House’s request, received overnight Wednesday, to bolster the capital’s law enforcement presence, according to CBS, citing an official in the mayor’s office.

Figures from the Metropolitan Police Department found that crime was down 35 percent in 2024 compared to 2023 in the city—a 30-year low. Preliminary numbers from the police found that violent crime was down 26 percent for 2025 so far.

A source told CBS there had been “little to no coordination” between the MPD and federal law enforcement about the plans, adding that the force has not been notified about what the increase in federal law enforcement might look like in D.C.

Trump threatened to take responsibility for law enforcement in D.C. away from the city several times this week. (Getty Images)

The Independent has contacted the MPD for further information.

At a news conference Thursday, Trump-appointed prosecutor Jeanine Pirro said young people in D.C. are being “coddled” and committing too much crime.

“They don’t need to be coddled anymore. They need to be held accountable,” said Pirro, who handles most of the capital’s adult crime. “They shouldn’t be going to arts and crafts in family court. They need to understand that enough is enough. And the D.C. Council has to repeal some of these absurd ordinances and laws that they’ve had passed that do nothing to protect the people of this city and of this District.”

Trump threatened to take responsibility for law enforcement in D.C. away from the city several times this week.

“If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take federal control of the city, and run this city how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore,” the president said Tuesday on Truth Social.

A sign in that said, ‘Heal Fast Big Balls Thanks, Trump!’ was spotted on August 7 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)

“Perhaps it should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of violent crime,” he said, referring to Coristine. “If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this city.”

Coristine, known by the nickname he gave himself on LinkedIn–“Big Balls”– was with an unnamed woman in downtown D.C. at 3 a.m. Sunday when a group of juveniles approached their car, according to the police report of the incident.

The report explains that the suspects approached the victims standing next to the vehicle parked on the 1400 block of Swann Street and demanded that they hand it over before assaulting one of the victims.

During the attack, an MPD cruiser pulled up, prompting the attackers to flee. Two of the suspects were apprehended by the on-scene officers. At the same time, one of the victims [Coristine] was treated on scene by emergency services personnel for injuries sustained during the assault.

The pair arrested was two 15-year-olds, a male and a female, from nearby Hyattsville, Maryland. They were subsequently charged with unarmed carjacking.

Coristine’s iPhone 16, worth $1,000, was reportedly stolen during the incident.