Trump orders National Guard to Washington
US President Donald Trump has announced he is deploying the National Guard in Washington and placing the capital's police department under federal control, citing the high number of homeless people and rampant crime on the other as justification for the measure - even though Washington authorities say these figures are on the decline. Trump already sent the National Guard to Los Angeles a few weeks ago in response to protests against his immigration policy.
There is no violent crime epidemic
As in Los Angeles a few weeks ago, scapegoats are now being sought in Washington, Avgi comments:
“Trump's claim that the American capital is plagued by a 'violent crime epidemic' is, of course, based on a lie. According to official figures crime in Washington is currently at its lowest level in 30 years. As for the homeless, there are no more than 800 in a city with a total population of 700,000. But apparently that figure is high enough to turn them into targets and scapegoats. Just like immigrants on the streets of Los Angeles.”
The aggression comes from the president
The US president's course of action reveals his true intentions, says Sydsvenskan:
“It's Donald Trump who is causing the violence. ... Few should be surprised by his lack of compassion in the face of other people's vulnerability. His approach to tackling the problems while holding the world's most powerful political office harks back to his actions on 6 January 2021, when he refused to concede defeat to Joe Biden and incited a mob to storm the Capitol. Whether Trump has won power or lost it, his words and deeds are pervaded by violence. That does not make Washington a safer city - quite the opposite, in fact.”
Diverting attention from the Epstein files
There is a strategy behind Trump's plan, emphasises Der Standard:
“Trump's interests in these days, weeks and months are above all centred on diverting attention from the judicial dispute surrounding the publication of the files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which is not just unpleasant but potentially dangerous for him. 'Flood the zone with shit' is well known to be Trump's political planning and action concept, and he seems to be acting on it again now. Ordering the deployment of the National Guard in the US capital - this distracts from Epstein and proves what a strong man Trump is. A man who is always in control. But is that really the case?”