Trump Demands Homeless Leave Washington or Face Eviction

Washington, D.C. — On Sunday, former President Donald Trump called for homeless residents to leave the nation’s capital or face eviction. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he pledged to deploy federal officers to make arrests. His remarks came amidst claims that he plans to hold a news conference on the issue of crime in Washington on Monday.

“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote shortly after leaving the White House for his golf club in Virginia. He said that those affected would be offered temporary accommodations far from the capital. Trump accompanied his post with four images taken during his drive from the White House, including photos of tents pitched near the presidential motorcade.

Trump’s post aims to promote a news conference scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday, which he indicated would address both crime and cleanliness in the city. Despite his assertions that there is a crime crisis, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser countered this narrative, stating that violent crime is at a 30-year low.

According to the Community Partnership, approximately 800 unsheltered individuals sleep outdoors among the city’s 700,000 residents. Additionally, there are more than 4,300 people in emergency or transitional housing. This contradicts the idea of a homelessness epidemic that Trump suggested.

Trump has also spoken of possibly federalizing law enforcement in the city. However, recent data shows that violent crime in D.C. dropped by 35% from 2023 to 2024. Bowser emphasized the ongoing cooperative efforts between local police and federal law enforcement.

Earlier this week, Trump ordered increased patrols in D.C. after an assault on a young federal worker. While he asserted the need for more police presence, D.C. authorities had already arrested two teenagers linked to the incident.

The White House has not clarified what legal authority Trump would use to evict homeless individuals, as the president has control only over federal properties. Congress maintains budget authority over the district.

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton criticized Trump’s approach, noting that such comments are misguided and offensive to the city’s residents, many of whom are people of color. She underscored the importance of D.C. statehood to ensure self-governance.

“D.C. residents, a majority of whom are Black and brown, are worthy and capable of governing themselves without interference from federal officials who are unaccountable to D.C.,” Norton said.