Trump threatens federal intervention in Chicago, government takeover in D.C.

By Andrea Shalal and Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON , Aug 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he would expand his crime crackdown to Chicago, using federal powers to intervene in another city governed by Democrats, and threatened to take full control of Washington, D.C., rather than only its policing.

Saying without evidence that violent crime was out of control in the nation's capital, Trump last week deployed National Guard soldiers and federal agents on the streets with a mandate to reduce crime.

"It was horrible and Mayor (Muriel) Bowser better get her act straight or she won't be mayor very long, because we take it over with the federal government, running it like it's supposed to be run," Trump told reporters.

Recent statistics, which Trump dismissed, show crime has declined in the U.S. capital since a 2023 peak.

On Chicago, the president said: "When we're ready, we'll go in, and we'll straighten out Chicago."

Like in Washington, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has said crime including homicides and gun violence has dropped in the last year while New York City - also criticized by Trump - has reported a decline in homicides, burglaries and robberies in the same period.

While the Republican president has cast his efforts as an urgent move to help residents feel safe again, critics and advocates say he aims to assert federal control over cities run by Democratic officials.

Trump's extraordinary intervention in Washington, including temporarily taking over the city's police department, is part of a second-term approach that seeks to broaden presidential powers and test any limits.