President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would federalize control of Washington, D.C., if “local youths” aren’t prosecuted as adults. The statement came after former DOGE staffer Edward Coristine, known as “Big Balls,” was reportedly beaten by a group of juveniles over the weekend.
Trump has previously condemned the district’s crime and homelessness conditions and called on its leaders to do better. While the federal government already has some control over Washington, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Council of the District of Columbia control most local affairs.
“Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control. Local ‘youths’ and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now!”
It’s unclear who Trump wants to prosecute specifically among teenagers. The district appears to have a youth crime problem, with more than 500 people under age 18 being arrested for violent crimes in the city in 2023.
Trump also posted a picture of a bloodied man, who Elon Musk implied was a Department of Government Efficiency employee, alongside his words, noting the “incredible young man” was “beaten mercilessly by local thugs.”
Coristine was assaulted by a group teenagers in Dupont Circle, according to a police report obtained by Politico. Two 15-year-olds were arrested fleeing the scene, and one iPhone was reported as stolen. Coristine told officers that the group came up to him and the woman he was with as they were getting into their car.
“The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these ‘minors’ as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14,” Trump wrote.
“Washington, D.C., must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see,” he added. “If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore. Perhaps it should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of Violent Crime. If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City,” he added.
Trump’s threat to federalize Washington is not new. In early July, he said he wants to run the district.
“We could run D.C.,” Trump told reporters at a Cabinet meeting. “We’d get the best person to run it.”
“The crime would be down to a minimum; it’d be much less,” he added.
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Congress appropriates the district’s funding and controls its laws. A Republican majority controlled by Trump has exerted power over Washington before, cutting a billion dollars from its budget.
It’s unclear what a full federalization of the district would look like, but it could involve more conservative policies enacted across the capital.