The White House declined to explain what legal authority Trump would use to evict people from the nation’s capital, which its mayor says is ‘not experiencing a crime spike’.
Published On 10 Aug 2025
United States President Donald Trump has pledged to evict homeless people from the nation’s capital, after days of musing about taking federal control of Washington, DC, where he has falsely suggested crime is on the rise.
“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.
“The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong. It’s all going to happen very fast.”
The announcement comes after Trump earlier this week threatened to deploy the National Guard as part of a crackdown on what he falsely says is rising crime in Washington, DC.
Trump’s Truth Social post on Sunday included pictures of tents and streets in Washington, DC with rubbish on them. “I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before.”
The White House declined to explain what legal authority Trump would use to evict people from the city. The Republican president controls only federal land and buildings in Washington.
Washington, DC, is ranked 15th on a list of major US cities by homeless population, according to government statistics from last year.
According to the Community Partnership, an organisation working to reduce homelessness in Washington, DC, on any given night, there are 3,782 single people experiencing homelessness in the city of about 700,000 people. These figures are down from pre-pandemic levels.
Most of the homeless people are in emergency shelters or transitional housing. About 800 are considered unsheltered or “on the street”, the organisation says.
A White House official said on Friday that more federal law enforcement officers were being deployed in the city following a violent attack on a young Trump admin