August 22, 2025 – Trump administration news

President Donald Trump said Friday he can keep troops in Washington, DC, “as long as I want” if he declares a national emergency.

“If I think we’re in great shape here, that’s one thing,” he said in the Oval Office. “But if I don’t, I’m going to just say it’s a national emergency. And if I have a national emergency, I can keep the troops there as long as I want.”

Trump seemed to conflate keeping the National Guard deployed in DC with his takeover of the local police department. He said he could subvert a provision under the District of Columbia’s Home Rule Act, which says the federal government can seize control of the city’s police force for up to 30 days during emergencies. After that, he would need congressional approval to continue controlling the Metropolitan Police Department.

In a hearing last week, Justice Department attorneys told a federal judge that unless Congress extended Trump’s ability to effectively control Washington, DC’s police department, Trump’s order would expire.

But Trump, who pledged to eliminate crime when he deployed federal law enforcement earlier this month, has now suggested on multiple occasions that he’ll need to maintain his influence over the city’s policing for far longer to cut down on crime long-term.

“It’s one thing to get them out, it’s another thing to keep them out for a long period of time,” Trump said. “That’s going to take more than 30 days.”

The president also said he’s already talked with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune about a planned request for $2 billion to funnel toward beautifying DC. He said that would be “very easy to get.”

Holmes Lybrand contributed to this post.