WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump greeted dozens of law enforcement personnel and National Guard troops Thursday and thanked them for what he has characterized as a successful early start to his administration’s efforts to drastically reduce crime in Washington, D.C.
Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were among those stationed outside of the U.S. Park Police Anacostia Operations Facility as Trump talked up the federal takeover of D.C. police that’s been accompanied by the deployment of more than a thousand National Guard troops.
“I feel very safe now, and I’m hearing people are very safe,” Trump told the crowd. “You people are winners. And I just think it’s really it’s such an honor to be with you. And we’re going to make Washington D.C. great again.”
Trump was flanked by several administration officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and recently confirmed U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro, each delivering brief remarks commending Trump.
After praising the officers, Trump’s hit several topics unrelated to crime or the nation’s capital, such as efforts to secure foreign investment in the U.S., accelerate the advancement of the nation’s artificial intelligence industry and extend his 2017 tax cuts.
Trump also used his remarks to commend a New York appellate court for voiding a nearly half-billion dollar judgment against him and his companies for engaging in fraud earlier Thursday, with the court finding the penalty “excessive.”
“They stole $550 million from me with a fake case and it was overturned,” Trump said. “It’s a terrible thing, but it’s a nice victory, you know?”
Following Trump’s remarks, law enforcement personnel were given hamburgers from the White House and pizza from a local chain.
Thursday’s meeting came amid protests and criticism from some D.C. residents, who are against the deployment of hundreds of National Guard troops to the city by Trump and the Republican governors of half a dozen states.
The president’s decision to surge National Guard troops into the district and exert influence over the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department marked an extraordinary push that was condemned by critics as overreach, but framed by the White House as necessary to combat crime. The White House has touted the effort on a daily basis since the stepped up security measures were implemented.
At the time of the announcement, D.C. police data indicated that violent crime had decreased 26% compared to the same time last year. NBC News previously reported that since then, the Justice Department has launched an investigation into whether Washington, D.C., police manipulated data to make crime rates appear lower than they are.
NBC Washington reported last month that a police commander, Michael Pulliam, was put on leave after the department began probing allegations he altered crime data. Pulliam has denied the allegations.
Trump’s decision to send troops into the city as part of his anti-crime push marked an increased willingness by his administration to deploy the National Guard, which is typically only called upon to respond to situations like natural disasters and civil unrest. Earlier this year, the Trump administration also sent the National Guard into to Los Angeles to respond to anti-immigration raid protests.
Trump’s visit Thursday comes after Vice President JD Vance thanked troops in D.C.’s Union Station on Wednesday alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
Megan Shannon contributed.