Trump's Power Grab and the Anger of the Capital

Washington is, in these August days, a place where the air crackles as if the city were under an invisible high voltage. Streets that are usually shaped by restaurant guests, tourists, and the bustling activity of the capital suddenly look like the backdrop of a political state of emergency. Along 14th Street Northwest there are checkpoints, flanked by officers of the Metropolitan Police and heavily armed federal agents - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE units, DEA, FBI. Some wear masks that hide their faces, triggering the spontaneous shout from the crowd: "Take off your mask!" On both sides of the street residents stand packed together, cursing, whistling, holding up signs. "Go home, fascists!", "Get off our streets!" - words that are usually read on banners in crisis areas far from the United States now echo through an American capital that has become alien to itself.

What is happening here is the direct result of an order from President Donald Trump, the likes of which are hard to find: the takeover of police authority in Washington D.C. by the federal government - legally supported by a special authority, politically motivated by the declared goal of "ending crime in the capital." Officially for 30 days, but on the third day the president already indicated he would seek an extension. If necessary, Trump said, he would "declare a national emergency." In the same breath, he stated on his platform Truth Social that D.C. had been "under siege from criminals and murderers" but was now "back under federal control where it belongs." The discrepancy between this rhetoric and the official crime statistics is striking: violent crime is at a 30-year low after peaking in 2023. For the city administration, the move is therefore less a necessary security step than an "authoritarian crackdown."

The presence of federal forces has steadily grown in recent days. About 1,450 federal and city police officers are currently patrolling, supported by up to 800 mobilized National Guard members who have so far not been deployed with weapons, but whose role can be adjusted at any time. Five armored vehicles have already been positioned within sight of the Washington Monument, and additional units are to be deployed to metro stations, monuments, and central squares. On paper, the National Guard is supposed to provide only logistical support - in practice, its visibility in the streets creates the impression of a city under military administration. For many residents, this sight is less reassuring than unsettling. Sheina Taylor, a native Washingtonian, reports that her street was recently completely closed off: "It is more frightening now, even if you are a law-abiding citizen. In D.C., you don't know what will happen - especially if you are African American."

The list of arrests that the White House presents daily looks less like proof of a security emergency and more like a record of everyday police work: driving under the influence, unlawful entry, an outstanding arrest warrant for assault, along with the seizure of seven illegal firearms. "That sounds like a normal Saturday night in any big city," scoffs Councilmember Christina Henderson, who openly states she sees the federal intervention mainly as a political staging. She has already contacted allies in Congress to oppose an extension of the measure.

Parallel to the increased police presence, there is a campaign against the homeless. Tents in parks and on sidewalks are being cleared, people are given the choice between being housed in shelters or going to jail. The government speaks of offers of addiction treatment, while human rights organizations warn of a criminalization of poverty that will worsen rather than solve the problem. For those affected, like "Ms. Jay," who, after losing her job and home, lived in a tent near Georgetown, the pressure is enormous: "Last night was so scary. I don't want to wait until the last moment to flee." The abrupt intrusion into the lives of the weakest in the city acts as a mirror image of the entire operation: a policy of toughness that creates the appearance of order without addressing the causes.

Meanwhile, the behavior of federal forces at key points resembles a state of permanent siege. In the Navy Yard, DEA agents patrol with city police, in the U Street Corridor Homeland Security investigators mingle with passersby, and on Massachusetts Avenue FBI agents stand watch. At the 14th Street checkpoint they wave cars out of traffic, search vehicles, question occupants. Even minor offenses such as illegal parking end in vehicle searches - a gesture of state power that many see as a provocation. The outrage is loud but has so far remained peaceful; no physical clashes, only words, shouts, palpable tension.

For Mayor Muriel Bowser, all this is a political balancing act. She initially criticized the measures as "unsettling and unprecedented," but later tactically conceded that more presence and gun seizures were fundamentally in the interest of public safety - even if there were no clear objectives for the action. The fact is, Trump worked with falsified numbers, invented a scenario that makes one think he suffers from paranoia. Yet - and this is unfortunately decisive - behind this cautious rhetoric lies the realization that Trump is operating within the legal framework, Washington D.C. has no statehood, and the president can place the district's police under federal command for a limited time. The fact that he openly plays with an extension, however, makes it clear that this is more than just a temporary security operation.

n the streets, the tension continues to vibrate. Some see in the patrols and controls the proof that their city is being "taken back," from whatever in the MAGA delusion. Others see in it the beginning of a dangerous development in which federal power is abused to demonstrate political strength. In this charged atmosphere, the responsibility now lies not only with the decision-makers but also with the residents themselves. Remaining calm - as difficult as it may be - is not a passive attitude in these days, but an act of political wisdom. Because the line between a city under control and a city in chaos is in Washington these days as thin as it has rarely been before - and no one must allow themselves to be drawn into taking the step that Trump wants to force: the path into violence.

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