‘Move Out Immediately’: Trump Vows To Remove Homeless From Washington

Last Updated:August 10, 2025, 23:02 IST

President Trump vowed to evict homeless people from D.C. and jail criminals, despite Mayor Bowser saying there's no crime spike. Trump plans a press conference on crime.

Applying Trump’s transactional approaches to conflict mediation might weaken not only his bid to present himself as a peacemaker, but also undermine international peace. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump on Sunday pledged to evict homeless people from the nation’s capital and jail criminals, despite Washington’s mayor arguing there is no current spike in crime.

“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong," Trump posted on the Truth Social platform.

The White House declined to specify the legal authority Trump would rely on to remove people from Washington, noting that the Republican president’s control extends only to federal land and buildings in the city.

Trump is planning to hold a press conference on Monday to “stop violent crime in Washington, D.C." It was not clear whether he would announce more details about his eviction plan then.

Trump’s post on Truth Social included pictures of tents and D.C. streets with some garbage on them. “I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before," he said.

According to the Community Partnership, an organisation working to reduce homelessness in D.C., on any given night, there are 3,782 single persons experiencing homelessness in the city of about 700,000 people, Reuters reported.

The organisation reports that most homeless individuals are in emergency shelters or transitional housing, while around 800 are considered unsheltered or living “on the street."

As per a White House official, more federal law enforcement officers were being deployed in the city following a violent attack on a young Trump administration staffer that angered the president.

The Democratic mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser, said on Sunday the capital was “not experiencing a crime spike."

“It is true that we had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023," Bowser said on MSNBC’s The Weekend. “We have spent over the last two years driving down violent crime in this city, driving it down to a 30-year low."

According to the city’s police department, violent crime in D.C. fell by 26% in the first seven months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, while overall crime declined by about 7%.

Bowser said Trump is “very aware" of the city’s work with federal law enforcement after meeting with Trump several weeks ago in the Oval Office.

The US Congress oversees D.C.’s budget, a power dating back to the district’s creation in 1790 from land ceded by Virginia and Maryland, though residents still elect a mayor and city council.

For Trump to take over the city, Congress likely would have to pass a law revoking the law that established local elected leadership, which Trump would have to sign.

On Sunday, Bowser pointed out that the president has the authority to deploy the Guard, a measure the administration recently used in Los Angeles following immigration protests, despite objections from local officials.

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News world ‘Move Out Immediately’: Trump Vows To Remove Homeless From Washington

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