President Donald Trump signaled Tuesday that he may authorize a federal takeover of Washington, D.C., following a violent assault on a staff member of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The staffer was reportedly injured while intervening in an attempted carjacking in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform, citing what he described as a breakdown of law and order in the nation’s capital.
“Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control,” Trump wrote.
“Local ‘youths’ and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released.”
The president went on to criticize the District’s criminal justice system for what he characterized as leniency toward juvenile offenders.
“They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now! The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these ‘minors’ as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14,” Trump wrote.
He then referenced a specific incident involving a DOGE employee who was injured while reportedly attempting to