President Donald Trump is painting Democrats as soft on crime ahead of the 2026 midterm elections as he seizes control of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., and accuses liberals of presiding over a public safety crisis.

Yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order declaring “a crime emergency in the District of Columbia,” citing “rising violence in the capital.” His administration is taking control of the city’s police department and plans to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, DC.

House Republicans moved quickly Monday to follow President Donald Trump’s lead as he took unprecedented action to target Washington’s locally elected government — further heightening the GOP’s scrutiny of the capital city and its Democratic elected leaders.