President Trump ventured just outside the White House’s grounds on Tuesday to dine in downtown Washington, D.C., to highlight the federal crime crackdown nearly a month after his decision to send National Guard troops to the nation’s capital.
The president went to Joe’s Stone Crab, which is a couple blocks away from the White House, and was joined by Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“We’re standing right in the middle of DC, which, as you know about over the last year, was a very unsafe place. Over the last 20 years it was very unsafe and now it’s got virtually no crime. We call it crime free,” Trump said.
The president also said he plans to announce a new city that he will send in federal law enforcement to “probably tomorrow,” suggesting that the governor of that state and mayor of that city wants his help. He has been eying Chicago and New Orleans as the next cities to curb crime.
“Here I am standing out in the middle of the street. I wouldn’t have done this three months ago, four months ago, I certainly wouldn’t have done it a year ago. This was one of the most unsafe cities in the country. Now it’s as safe as there is in the country,” Trump said, standing outside the D.C. restaurant. “Everybody should go out.”
He also thanked the National Guard, which he federalized on Aug. 11 to patrol D.C.
“The National Guard, they’re working with the mayor and the chief and we all work together and the outcome is really spectacular, we have a capital that’s very, very safe,” Trump said.
Trump proclaimed last month that it’s safe to go to restaurants in the nation’s capital again, saying that they are more crowded than the have been in a long time. Data at the time suggested restaurant attendance amid his police takeover had taken a dive.
So far in D.C., 2,177 total arrests have been made, according to the White House on Tuesday.
Those arrests include 20 known gang members and 222 firearms seized. Additionally, seven missing children have been rescued and 50 homeless encampments have been cleared.
On Monday night alone, 57 arrests were made and 14 of them were migrants, “many” of which have prior criminal histories, according to the White House. Eight firearms were seized.
Over 3,200 federal law enforcement from 22 agencies participated in patrolling the streets on D.C. on Monday night.
