President Donald Trump is signaling a major move to restore safety in Washington, D.C., following the murder of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, an intern for Rep. Ron Estes, who was gunned down in the city Monday night. Trump, speaking with the Daily Caller’s Reagan Reese, promised that “D.C. has to become a very safe place” and “we’re not gonna let anything bad happen [to] DC,” teasing a forthcoming announcement expected next week.

While Trump did not reveal specifics, his comments came as renewed debate swirls around the capital’s spiraling crime rates, with calls growing for Congress to take back control of the city from local leadership if the violence continues. The murder of a young congressional staffer near the halls of power has sparked outrage, underscoring fears that even areas near government buildings are no longer immune to DC’s worsening crime.

Under Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, violent crime in DC has continued to rise despite past promises to get tough on crime. Residents and business owners have complained about open-air drug markets, rampant carjackings, and a perception that criminals face few consequences under the city’s soft-on-crime approach. Calls for more aggressive policing and judicial accountability have been met with resistance from progressive activists who favor de-policing and decarceration policies, even as violence climbs.

Trump’s hint of a plan signals he may be preparing to leverage federal authority, whether by increasing federal law enforcement presence, supporting congressional intervention to revoke DC’s limited home rule, or using executive power to bring in National Guard or federal task forces to stabilize the city. The administration has reportedly been consulting with congressional leaders and law enforcement officials on next steps, according to sources familiar with internal discussions.

The timing of Trump’s pending announcement also aligns with broader Republican efforts to make urban crime a central campaign issue heading into 2026, portraying Democrats as unable to maintain basic public safety even in the nation’s capital. Trump’s framing of DC’s crime crisis as a federal issue, rather than a purely local one, could open the door to a new federal-local clash over control of the city’s policing and prosecutorial policies.

Critics will likely decry Trump’s anticipated plan as federal overreach, while supporters see it as long overdue. For now, residents and staffers working in DC are left waiting to see what Trump’s next move will be—and whether it will finally bring meaningful change to a city that many say feels increasingly unsafe.