D.C. CLEAN-UP! National Guard Holds the Line in D.C., Press Sec. Leavitt Provides Update [WATCH]

Trump White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt gave the latest arrest tally out of Washington, D.C., where National Guard troops now stand watch and man checkpoints in the crime-scarred capital.

“Forty-five criminal arrests were made for assault — second- and first-degree — and for the distribution of illegal drugs and narcotics,” she said.

“Three illegal firearms were seized. And in addition, 29 illegal aliens were removed from D.C.’s streets last night,” Leavitt told Fox News.

Watch the clip below:

.@PressSec on Making D.C. Safe Again: “Overnight, there were 45 criminal arrests made… In addition to that, there were 29 illegal aliens who were removed… If the Democrats had their way, there would be hundreds more criminals roaming free.” pic.twitter.com/rT8FREVSdg

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 14, 2025

President Trump said Wednesday he wants “long-term extensions” of federal authority over D.C.’s police and will ask Congress to grant them — vowing the capital will become a “beacon” for New York and other cities after his crackdown.

“We’re going to need a crime bill… it’s going to pertain initially to D.C.,” Trump said while unveiling this year’s Kennedy Center honorees. “We’re going to be asking for extensions on that — long-term extensions — because you can’t have 30 days.”

“We are going to do this very quickly, but we are going to want extensions. I don’t want to call a national emergency. If I have to, I will. But I think the Republicans in Congress will approve this pretty much unanimously.”

Watch the clip below:

President Trump on DC police federalization: “We’re going to need a crime bill that we’re putting in and it’s going to pertain initially to DC…we’re going to be asking for long-term extensions.” pic.twitter.com/2LPby0GDDQ

— CSPAN (@cspan) August 13, 2025