Photo: Getty Images
Vice President J.D. Vance has confirmed that the federal takeover of policing in Washington, D.C. could become a test case for other U.S. cities.
On Wednesday (August 20), Vance appeared at Union Station alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who boasted about the presence of federal agents and National Guard troops in D.C. amid Trump's crackdown on what he calls “one of the most violent cities on planet Earth," per Washington Post. Recent data shows violent crime is at a 30-year low in D.C. despite Trump's claims of "rampant lawlessness."
“Union Station is a great symbol of what’s possible when you actually have the political willpower to bring law and order and common decency back to the public spaces of the United States of America,” Vance told a group of National Guard troops at Union Station. “So many Americans live in cities… they would love to be able to just live their life in places like Union Station without violent criminals making it impossible.”
Protestors inside the station shouted “Free D.C," prompting Vance to “crazy liberals.” Miller said the demonstrators were “communists” with “no connection to Washington.”
“Inspired by these protesters,” Miller said the Trump administration would deploy “thousands” more law enforcement officers.
“This is not a city that has had any safety for its Black citizens for generations, and President Trump is the one who is fixing that... We’re going to ignore these stupid White hippies who all need to go home and take a nap," Miller added.
Trump’s 30-day takeover of D.C. policing, which began August 11, includes 800 National Guard troops. Republican governors in at least six states have pledged to send additional federally funded troops. The White House said over 550 arrests have been made since August 7.
Asked if the troop deployment should be extended, Vance said, “If the president of the United States thinks that he has to extend this order to ensure that people have access to public safety, then that’s exactly what he’ll do.”
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