President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he may mobilize the National Guard in Washington, D.C., if the city is unable to crack down on violent crime.

The commander in chief, who deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier this year in response to anti-ICE riots, made the comment at the White House after a reporter asked if he was considering taking over the police in D.C.

“We’re considering it, yeah, because the crime is ridiculous,” Trump said, adding later that his plan may include “bringing in the National Guard, maybe, very quickly, too.”

“Are you considering taking over the D.C. Police?”@POTUS: “We’re considering it, yeah, because the crime is ridiculous … That includes bringing in the National Guard, maybe, very quickly, too.” pic.twitter.com/IkAIFhiVzP

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 6, 2025

Trump reiterated his interest in federalizing D.C. in addition to talking about his desire to clean up the nation’s capital with projects such as removing graffiti and fixing up roads.

“We’re going to beautify the city,” Trump said.

Trump also spoke about Ed Coristine, aka “Big Balls,” a government staffer who was beaten up while trying to protect a woman during an attempted carjacking in D.C. Police say they have arrested two juveniles in connection with the assault.

“You know, we just almost lost a young man. Beautiful, handsome guy who got the hell knocked out of him the night before last,” Trump said.

The president noted that he planned to speak with Coristine on the phone as the 19-year-old recovers from the violent incident.

“He went through a bad situation, to put it mildly. And there’s too much of it,” Trump said.

On Tuesday, Trump posted to Truth Social an image that appeared to show a beaten-up Coristine and warned federalization would happen if D.C. does not stymie violent crime.

Among those who vouched for the idea response to Trump’s announcement was Elon Musk, who worked with Coristine in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort.

Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat who is the D.C. non-voting delegate in the House, responded to Musk on X and pushed back on what Trump was saying.

“1) Violent crime is horrific and unacceptable no matter where it occurs,” Norton said. “2) DC’s violent crime rate is at a 30-year low. 3) Presidents have no authority to unilaterally take control of DC. Congress would have to pass a law, and I won’t let the current effort get that far.”

However, Norton may not get her way as some Republican lawmakers have voiced interest in revoking the D.C. Home Rule that allows the capital city a limited amount of self-governance.

When asked on Wednesday if he wants Congress to look at overturning the D.C. Home Rule Act, Trump said that “the lawyers are already studying” the matter.

“This has to be the best-run place in the country, not the worst-run place in the country,” Trump said. “And it has so much potential. And we’re going to take care of it. You’re going to be safe … walking down streets.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on Tuesday that he had overturned a recent order banning traditional tactics used by drill sergeants to train new recruits, a move he says will ensure soldiers are equipped for battle.

On July 30, Col. Christopher J. Hallows, Commander of the 197th Infantry at Fort Benning, Georgia, issued a memo banning “bay tossing,” according to Just the News. The practice involves drill sergeants entering trainees’ bunk rooms — called  “bays” — unannounced, inspecting wall lockers and bunks, and then flipping over mattresses and lockers that don’t pass muster, and loudly ordering trainees to quickly clean up the mess.

Hallows said bay tossing violated Army values and amounted to “abuse” of the trainees.

“Abuse of Trainees undermines the trust of the American public by violating Army Values, disrupting military order and discipline, and destroying a positive training environment,” his memo stated. “Our mission is to provide competent, capable, well-trained Soldiers of good character, ready to fight and win our nation’s wars … there is no greater obstacle to the effectiveness of the IMT [initial military training] environment than the improper treatment of Trainees.”

Hegseth disagreed, however, and reversed Hallows’ order.

“Bottom Line: Make BASIC Great Again,” a Pentagon source told Just the News. “Tossing bunks is back. Drill sergeants are back. Getting cursed at is back.”

A Pentagon source told Just The News that Hegseth’s decision was rooted in a desire to ensure that “the people we want to recruit want to be challenged, and the tougher the training the more cohesive the units are … We don’t want to have training that is designed to breed undisciplined people and recruit those that gravitate to wanting to be wimps.”

Hegseth also signaled openness to reviving “shark attacks,” where drill sergeants greet recruits upon arrival at training camps and order them to do push-ups and other tasks before they’ve even set their bags down. The exercise is meant to gauge how recruits handle pressure and chaos.

The practice was largely ended in 2020 and replaced with an exercise referred to as “The First 100 Yards,” a slightly more organized and structured training exercise designed to build camaraderie and encourage teamwork under stress.

“‘The First 100 Yards’ is a U.S. Army Trainees first exposure to their Basic Training (BCT), Drill Sergeants, and their first opportunity to begin their transformation as members of the world’s most potent and lethal fighting force,” the U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training posted on Facebook. “‘The First 100 Yards,’ a homage to their lineage of closing the last 100 yards of the fight, incorporates teamwork into a competition that features mental and physical challenges on the day they arrive to their basic training company.”

According to Jennifer S. Gunn, the director of public affairs at the Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning, the initial bay-tossing ban stemmed from a specific incident in which a trainee’s personal property was damaged — and Hallows had initially endeavored to prevent that from happening again.

“I can confirm the memos are authentic and were the result of a recent review by the brigade command team,” she explained. “During a recent training cycle, an instance of corrective action violated regulation and resulted in damage to both government and trainee personal property.”

From Day Zero, Infantry Soldiers are thrown into the #USArmy world.

Our Drill Sergeants teach new recruits how to work as a team, move as members of a platoon and react to stressful situations.

This is The First 100 Yards.

🎥 ➡️ Payton King pic.twitter.com/KjRAzSz0VA

— U.S. Army (@USArmy) November 29, 2021