President Donald Trump declared Saturday morning on his Truth Social platform that Washington, D.C., will soon be a lot safer — and wrote in an oddly worded post that a White House press conference “will, essentially, stop violent crime” in the nation’s capital.

“On Monday a Press Conference will be held at the White House which will, essentially, stop violent crime in Washington, D.C.,” the president announced. “It has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World. It will soon be the safest!!!”

He ended the post with, “Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT.”

While it remains unclear what he plans to announce, Trump has supported congressional efforts for a federal takeover of the capital several times over the past six months. In February, the MAGA leader cited crime and homelessness as motivating reasons.

Last month, Trump disclosed he’s already “testing” a federal takeover of D.C.

Trump added at the time that his White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has been “working very closely” with Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat. Prompted by a question about the upcoming New York mayoral race, Trump then hinted that the East Coast city might be next.

Trump has alluded to rampant crime in both cities as his reasoning for the idea, but the New York City Police Department announced in June that it experienced, from January through May, the lowest number of shootings and murders in the city’s recorded history.

D.C. appears to have experienced a similar drop. The district’s Metropolitan Police Department confirmed Friday that in a year-to-date comparison to the same period last year, violent crime had dropped by 26%.

Trump’s apparent desire to take over D.C. was seemingly revived by Saturday’s assault of Edward Coristine, a former federal staffer nicknamed “Big Balls” — who worked for the so-called Department of Government Efficiency under former Trump ally Elon Musk.

Trump has publicly supported the idea of a federal takeover of D.C. on multiple occasions.
Trump has publicly supported the idea of a federal takeover of D.C. on multiple occasions.
Alex Brandon/Associated Press

“If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore,” Trump wrote Tuesday on his platform.

Federal law enforcement in D.C. was bolstered Friday, the White House confirmed.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the day prior that Trump has ordered “an increased presence” of federal officers to patrol D.C. starting at midnight. The effort is expected to last one week, but could certainly be extended.

Trump appears to have sidelined alternative solutions to the problem, however. He slashed federal funding last month for gun violence prevention programs across the U.S., cutting $158 million in grants directed to groups specifically in cities like D.C. and New York.