New York, New York – On Monday, President Donald Trump suggested he may intervene in New York City. The comment came just hours after he announced a temporary federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s police department and deployed 800 National Guard troops to the capital.
“I’m going to look at New York in a little while,” Trump said at the White House, “Let’s do this, let’s do this together.”
While Trump has not detailed how a federal response in New York would work, his comments suggest the city could become the next focus of a broader effort to address what he claims are out-of-control crime rates in Democratic-led cities.
The Brief
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- President Trump suggested New York City could be the next target in his federal response to crime, after taking control of D.C.’s police.
- Legal experts say he has no clear authority to seize control of the NYPD, though he could send National Guard troops to protect federal property.
- Crime in New York has declined for 10 consecutive months, but Trump argues the city still needs to “clean up” or face possible federal action.
What Trump has said about taking over NYC
Massapequa Park, N.Y.: Former President Donald Trump, second from right, is flanked by from (left to right) Oyster Bay supervisor Joseph S. Saladino, Nassau County Police Department Commissioner Patrick Ryder and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakema
What they’re saying:
In remarks Monday, Trump suggested New York City may be the next target in what he called a federal effort to address urban crime. “We have other cities that are very bad. New York has a problem,” he said. “We’re not going to let it happen. We’re not going to lose our cities over this. And this will go further,” he added.
His comments suggested he’s targeting Democratic-led cities, with New York as a potential next step.
He added that he hopes cities like New York take initiative: “I hope they do a self-clean-up.”
Trump has also previously threatened action if certain local officials gain more power. At a July Cabinet meeting, he referenced the potential victory of Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani in a New York race as another reason to “straighten out” the city.
Can Trump takeover the NYPD?
NEW YORK, NY – September 24: NYPD officers stand guard before President Donald Trump arrives to attend a meeting on the global drug problem at the United Nations on September 24, 2018 in New York. (Photo by Kena Betancur/VIEWpress/Corbis via Getty Im
It’s unclear exactly how President Trump could intervene in New York City in the way he did in Washington, D.C. His authority to take temporary control of the D.C. police department comes from a provision in the District of Columbia Home Rule Act—a legal framework that only applies to the nation’s capital.
That structure does not extend to cities like New York, which are governed by state and local laws.
During his first term, he sent federal agents to cities such as Portland, Oregon, during protests. In those cases, agents focused on protecting federal property, like courthouses, rather than taking control of local police forces.
One legal expert tells Gothamist that while Trump may not have a clear path to controlling the NYPD, he could justify limited federal action by focusing on protecting federal property.
Local perspective:
New York City contains several federal properties, which could potentially serve as a basis for some level of federal action. Whether that would extend beyond securing buildings or lead to a broader role for federal forces remains to be seen. / fox5ny
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