--- title: Democrats Respond as Trump Targets Other Cities After D.C. description: The President singled out several other cities as potentially next for federal intervention to crack down on crime. canonical: https://time.com/7309031/democrats-respond-trump-washington-dc-takeover-national-guard-baltimore-chicago-los-angeles-new-york-oakland/ author: Chad de Guzman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-08-12T10:30:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:03:24.160Z article:section: Politics og:title: Democrats Respond as Trump Targets Other Cities After D.C. og:description: The President singled out several other cities as potentially next for federal intervention to crack down on crime. og:url: https://time.com/7309031/democrats-respond-trump-washington-dc-takeover-national-guard-baltimore-chicago-los-angeles-new-york-oakland/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf653059b6660404d/6998c8f4a97fc07110a7495c/cities-crime.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Federal Law Enforcement Increases DC Presence After Trump Decries Crime og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Democrats Respond as Trump Targets Other Cities After D.C. twitter:description: The President singled out several other cities as potentially next for federal intervention to crack down on crime. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf653059b6660404d/6998c8f4a97fc07110a7495c/cities-crime.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Democrats Respond as Trump Targets Other Cities After D.C. > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Trump's Takeover of Washington Law Enforcement Begins After National Guard Troops Arrive [Watch (HLS stream): Trump's Takeover of Washington Law Enforcement Begins After National Guard Troops Arrive](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/7EtUNMsA.m3u8) (3:03)  _Published 2025-08-12. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser says the city will aim to “make the most of” the increase in federal resources in the city after Trump’s announcement that he’s taking over Washington’s police department and activating 800 members of the National Guard._  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Aug 12, 2025 10:30 AM UTC  Protesters gather at Dupont Circle after President Trump’s press conference in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 11, 2025. Protesters gather at Dupont Circle after President Trump’s press conference in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 11, 2025. Tasos Katopodis—Getty Images  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Aug 12, 2025 10:30 AM UTC When Donald Trump announced the [federalization of local law enforcement and the deployment of the National Guard](https://time.com/7308788/trump-washington-dc-national-guard/) in Washington, D.C., on Monday, in an effort to [tackle crime](https://time.com/7307798/trump-washington-dc-federalize-takeover-big-balls-edward-coristine-assault/) and “beautify” the city, he put other places on notice, too. “This will go further,” the President said. “We’re going to take back our capital … and then we’ll look at other cities also,” singling out Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, and Oakland. Democrats, whom Trump labeled “weak on crime,” have responded to the “[hostile takeover](https://time.com/7308918/trump-washington-dc-2020-george-floyd-protests/)” of D.C. and threats to do so elsewhere. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called Trump’s move “[unsettling and unprecedented](https://youtu.be/INshsv7Rv-c?t=234),” especially as the capital has actually, contrary to Trump’s claims, seen a [downtrend of crime](https://time.com/7308580/trump-dc-violent-crime/) in recent years. The Democratic Mayors Association called it a “political charade” to distract Americans. “Let’s be clear: Crime is down in most major cities—including Washington, DC—in spite of Donald Trump, not because of him,” the group said in a [statement](https://www.democraticmayors.org/press-releases/democratic-mayors-association-calls-out-trumps-attacks-on-washington-dc). “While there is still more work to be done, Mayors need a federal partner who works with them, not against them.” [California Gov. Gavin Newsom](https://time.com/7293440/gavin-newsom-california-governor-career-president-trump-rivalry-ambition-history/), who previously [challenged Trump’s mobilization](https://time.com/7292191/trump-newsom-national-guard-california-los-angeles-protests-legal-challenge/) of the National Guard in California, suggested in a post on X on Monday that he “[saw that coming](https://x.com/CAgovernor/status/1954987769975148708)” in reference to Trump’s D.C. announcement. Newsom [had warned in a speech in June](https://time.com/7293071/gavin-newsom-california-los-angeles-protests-speech-warning-nation-trump/) that “other states are next.” Trump “was just getting warmed up in Los Angeles,” Newsom [posted](https://x.com/GavinNewsom/status/1954965149225562627) separately on Monday. “He will gaslight his way into militarizing any city he wants in America. This is what dictators do.” **Read More:** [_Trump Has Deployed Troops At Home Like No Other President. Here Is Where He Has Sent Them_](https://time.com/7308904/dc-national-guard-trump-troops/) Here’s what to know about the other cities Trump mentioned and how their leaders have responded. ## Baltimore Maryland’s largest city, with [more than half a million people](https://mayor.baltimorecity.gov/news/press-releases/2025-03-13-mayor-scott-new-census-projections-showing-stabilizing-population), has reported that crime has been on the decline. A [dashboard](https://app.powerbigov.us/view?r=eyJrIjoiZjcyZDY5NWYtNTBlZS00OTg0LTgyNDQtOWYwMDEyOGI5Y2M1IiwidCI6IjMxMmNiMTI2LWM2YWUtNGZjMi04MDBkLTMxOGU2NzljZTZjNyJ9) operated by the city police shows that violent crime to date decreased by some 17% in the last year. Similarly, homicides have been down by almost 28%, and property crimes by around 13%. Brandon Scott, the city’s mayor, in response to Trump’s announcement on Monday, said in a [statement](https://x.com/MayorBMScott/status/1954935968957399399) that “when it comes to public safety in Baltimore, he should turn off the right-wing propaganda and look at the facts.” Scott added that Trump was “distracting” from “the issues he should be focused on—including the roller coaster of the US economy thanks to his policies.” Scott, along with Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and other Maryland elected officials, also [issued](https://mayor.baltimorecity.gov/news/press-releases/2025-08-11-joint-statement-elected-officials-baltimore-city-and-state-maryland) a joint statement protesting Trump’s “power grab” in D.C., which they said “is based on pure lies about our communities.” ## Chicago Trump singled out the Illinois city of more than 2.7 million people in his press conference, criticizing the city’s supposed scourge of crime, which the President alleged has been worsened by policies against cash bail. “Every place in the country you have no cash bail is a disaster,” Trump said. Illinois [made history in 2023](https://apnews.com/article/cash-bail-criminal-justice-supreme-court-pretrial-jail-poverty-55f1d3e71714151eb19cc2fbc10677d5) as the first state to eliminate cash bail as a condition of pre-trial release for people arrested. A year after it was passed, crime rates [in Illinois did not increase](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/cash-bail-illinois-one-year-later/), debunking claims that removing cash bail requirements would worsen crime in the state. In Chicago specifically, the crime rate has gone down by 15% since 2023, according to Chicago [police data](https://www.chicagopolice.org/wp-content/uploads/1%5FPDFsam%5FCompStat-Public-2025-Week-31.pdf). The office of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson [called](https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/press%5Froom/press%5Freleases/2025/july/statement-guard-threat.html) Trump’s claims about crime in major cities “misinformation.” Johnson argued in a statement that Trump has actually been an impediment to greater progress. “In just two years we have made historic progress, driving down homicides by more than 30% and reducing shootings by almost 40% in the last year alone,” Johnson said. “Last week, we learned that President Trump cut another $158 million in funding for violence prevention programs in cities like Chicago. These cuts are on top of the Trump administration dismantling the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and terminating more than $800 million in grants for anti-violence programs across the country.” “If President Trump wants to help make Chicago safer, he can start by releasing the funds for anti-violence programs that have been critical to our work to drive down crime and violence. Sending in the national guard would only serve to destabilize our city and undermine our public safety efforts.” ## Los Angeles After Trump’s press conference on Monday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass [posted on X](https://x.com/MayorOfLA/status/1955013199872557310) a _Los Angeles Times_ headline:, “L.A. on pace to see lowest homicide total in nearly 60 years as killings plummet.” Homicides, according to the [article](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-07-09/los-angeles-homicide-total-2025), have been on a “steady downward trajectory” since 2021. According to a [March release](https://mayor.lacity.gov/news/lapd-releases-2024-end-year-crime-statistics-city-los-angeles) from Bass’ office citing Los Angeles Police Department data, homicides decreased 14% in 2024 compared to the year prior, and shooting victims have decreased by 19% in 2024 compared to 2023\. Bass had previously criticized the Trump Administration’s “[assault](https://time.com/7300803/los-angeles-ice-raids-macarthur-park-national-guard-bass-trump/)” on Los Angeles, after National Guard troops were mobilized in June to respond to anti-ICE raid protests. [Speaking to MSNBC](https://x.com/MayorOfLA/status/1955116004226347450) on Monday, Bass called the federal takeover of the D.C. a “performance” and a “phase of an experiment” that Democrats have to make sure “fails.” ## New York Trump also mentioned his home city of almost 8.48 million. Despite its [reputation for crime](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/crime-perceptions-and-reality-in-new-york), New York has [reported](https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/news/pr001/crime-down-across-new-york-city-2024-3-662-fewer-crimes) that homicides and shootings decreased for the third straight year. In January, the city reported its overall crime index went down by almost 3% in 2024, though there was an 19% increase in rape cases and a 5% uptick in felony assault cases. The President’s warning that he’s going to look at New York in “a little while” now looms over the upcoming [mayoral election](https://time.com/7299335/zohran-mamdani-nyc-democratic-mayoral-primary/) in November. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who is running as an independent, warned that Democratic nominee and state Assemblyman [Zohran Mamdani](https://time.com/7297429/zohran-mamdani-victory-democratic-socialist/) is unprepared to stand up to Trump. Cuomo [posted](https://x.com/andrewcuomo/status/1954953893927891118) on X: “What you’re seeing in D.C. today is exactly what will happen if \[Mamdani\] becomes Mayor. Trump will flatten him like a pancake.” “In 2020, Trump sent the National Guard into other states,” Cuomo added, referencing [Trump’s response to nationwide social justice protests](https://time.com/7308918/trump-washington-dc-2020-george-floyd-protests/) after George Floyd’s death. “Not New York. There’s only one person in this race who can stand up to Trump: the one who already has, successfully and effectively. NYC can’t afford a rookie who needs on-the-job training to fight for us.” Mamdani offered his own view: “Donald Trump does not respond well to cowardice,” he [said](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nyc-homeless-advocates-on-president-trumps-plan/), according to CBS News. “He requires a response that showcases the ability to fight back against that same agenda, and that’s what I would do if and when he makes these kinds of threats with regard to New York City.” Mamdani and Cuomo are running against the incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who said via a spokesperson, according to CBS News, that New York City “doesn’t need any help from our federal counterparts in driving down crime—we are doing it on our own every single day.” Earlier Adams [said](https://x.com/ericadamsfornyc/status/1954959383734993367) his Administration is focused on “not just the numbers and the stats” but on helping New Yorkers “feel” safe. ## Oakland Barbara Lee, Oakland’s mayor, said in a [statement](https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraLeeforCA/posts/1305696594274628) that Trump's characterization of Oakland, which he called “so far gone,” is “wrong and based in fear-mongering in an attempt to score cheap political points.” The California city of approximately 440,000 has seen violent crime plummet by almost a fifth from 2023 to 2024, according to data from the city’s police department, which also [shows](https://cityofoakland2.app.box.com/s/sjiq7usfy27gy9dfe51hp8arz5l1ixad/file/1743494392012) that crime has gone down in almost every single category. ## Transcript What I'm focused on is the federal surge and how to make the most of the additional officer support that we have. We have the best in the business in MPD and Chief Pamela Smith to lead that effort and to make sure that the men and women who are coming from federal law enforcement are being well used, and that if there's National Guard here, that they're being well used and all in an effort to drive down crime. So how how we got here or what the what we think about the the circumstances right now we we have more police and we want to make sure we're using them. We have been working collaboratively. I think this is going to be a good effort. It's going to be an effort that supported by both teams, the Metropolitan Police Department as well as our federal partners. As you know, we work daily with them. What we've done at this point is we have provided the team, the administrator, with a strategic plan on how we will provide resources around our city. I think it's something that is doable. We know that we have to get illegal guns off of our street, and if we have this influx or enhanced presence, it's going to make our city even better. As part of the president's massive law enforcement surge last night, approximately 850 officers and agents were surged across the city. They made a total of 23 arrests, including multiple other contacts last night. These arrests consisted of homicide, firearms offenses, possession with intent to distribute narcotics, fare evasion, lewd acts, stalking, possession of a high capacity magazine, fleeing to elude in a vehicle no permits, driving under the influence, reckless driving and a bench warrant. As for the timing, we will reevaluate and reassess and make further decisions after this 30 day period is up. But within these 30 days, our entire focus is making sure that this is the most efficient operation possible and that we are removing as many criminals from the streets, and we are cleaning up D.C. as best as we can, and working with the Metropolitan Police Department to do that. The Metropolitan Police Department, with the support of the new federal agencies who have been surging on the streets of the District of Columbia, are going to enforce the laws that are already on the books here in Washington, D.C. for far too long, these laws have been completely ignored in the homelessness problem has ravaged the city. So D.C. code 22 1307 and D.C. Municipal Regulation 24 100 give the Metropolitan Police Department the authority to take action when it comes to homeless encampments encampments so homeless individuals will be given the option to leave their encampment, to be taken to a homeless shelter, to be offered addiction or mental health services. And if they refuse, they will be susceptible to fines or to jail time. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7309031/democrats-respond-trump-washington-dc-takeover-national-guard-baltimore-chicago-los-angeles-new-york-oakland/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7309031/democrats-respond-trump-washington-dc-takeover-national-guard-baltimore-chicago-los-angeles-new-york-oakland/"},"headline":"Democrats Respond as Trump Targets Other Cities After D.C.","datePublished":"2025-08-12T10:30:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:03:24.160Z","description":"The President singled out several other cities as potentially next for federal intervention to crack down on crime.","url":"https://time.com/7309031/democrats-respond-trump-washington-dc-takeover-national-guard-baltimore-chicago-los-angeles-new-york-oakland/","keywords":["Donald Trump","overnight","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf653059b6660404d/6998c8f4a97fc07110a7495c/cities-crime.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chad de Guzman","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf653059b6660404d/6998c8f4a97fc07110a7495c/cities-crime.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Federal Law Enforcement Increases DC Presence After Trump Decries Crime","caption":"Protesters gather at Dupont Circle after the morning press conference by President Trump in Washington, D.C. on on Aug. 11, 2025.","creditText":"Tasos Katopodis—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7309031/democrats-respond-trump-washington-dc-takeover-national-guard-baltimore-chicago-los-angeles-new-york-oakland/","name":"Democrats Respond as Trump Targets Other Cities After D.C."}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"D.C. 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