By Molly Claire Goddard
10:04am PDT, Aug 25, 2025
_
Donald Trump wants to take over more American cities. During a press gathering at the White House alongside Defense Secretary
Pete Hegseth and Attorney General
Pam Bondi, the president threatened to use National Guard troops to "go further" to gain control of areas like Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Oakland just as he did with Washington, D.C.
Keep reading to learn why Trump wants to weaponize the federal government…MORE:
Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more top news
_
After Donald Trump claimed his administration would be sending 800 National Guard troops to the capital to "reestablish law, order and public safety," he stated that more left-leaning cities were to follow. "We have other cities also that are bad. Very bad," the Republican leader
said. "You look at Chicago, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is. We have other cities that are very bad. New York has a problem. And then you have, of course, Baltimore and Oakland. We don't even mention that anymore there. They're so far gone. We're not going to let it happen. We're not going to lose our cities over this. … This is liberation day in D.C., and we're going to take our Capitol back.
_
While Donald Trump gave a dramatic speech about the alleged issue, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seemed tamer about the situation in Washington, D.C. "We will work alongside all D.C. police and federal law enforcement," he made clear. Attorney General Pam Bondi took decision-making authority from the city's police chief and handed it to the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration,
Terry Cole. "Effective immediately, Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrence C. Cole shall serve as MPD's Emergency Police Commissioner for the duration of the emergency declared by the president. Commissioner Cole shall assume all of the powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police,"
an order from Bondi's office read.
_
Following Donald Trump's threat, Baltimore Mayor
Brandon Scott fired back at the right-wing administration. "This is the latest effort by the president to distract from the issues he should be focused on — including the roller coaster of the U.S. economy thanks to his policies. When it comes to public safety in Baltimore, he should turn off the right-wing propaganda and look at the facts," he said in a
statement. "Baltimore is the safest it's been in over 50 years. Homicides are down 28 percent this year alone, reaching the lowest level of any year on record. We still have real work to do to build on this progress — but that work starts and ends here in Baltimore, with the local, state and federal partners who have gotten us this far."
