Updated @ 6:26 PM EDT on August 21, 2025
A contingent of police and National Guard personnel that President Trump has charged with a high-profile campaign against what he has called “rising crime and homelessness in Washington, D.C.” received pizza and hamburgers from the president on Thursday.
Trump had previously hinted that he might be going on patrol. “I believe I’ll be going out tonight with the military and the cops, of course. Trump said on The Todd Starnes Show, “So we’re going to do a job.”
Rather, it was a brief visit to a U.S. Park Police operations center on the Anacostia River. Trump commended law enforcement for their efforts while holding a portable microphone.
“I feel very safe now, and I’m hearing people are very safe, but I know within two weeks … it’s going to be at a level that’s even far superior,” Trump stated.
Earlier this month, Trump attempted to seize control of the Metropolitan Police Department by using emergency powers. He sent hundreds of federal law enforcement officers and National Guard members to the capital. According to the White House, dozens of homeless encampments have been dismantled and over 600 people have been arrested on various counts.
The mayor of the city and other officials have denounced the crackdown as being excessive. During a Wednesday photo op with National Guard members at Union Station, protesters jeered Vice President Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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