Image source, Getty Images

Trump is continuing to take questions from the journalists gathered in the room, and is asked how personal Washington DC's appearance and crime rates are to him.

The president immediately describes how the capital's appearance is critical when other leaders visit, as "they're all wanting to come".

"Everything should be perfect" when these dignitaries visit, Trump explains.

"It's a very strong reflection of our country," he adds. "If our capital is dirty, our whole country is dirty and they don't respect us."

Trump was just asked by a reporter if the White House is considering reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, as suggests a report from the Wall Street Journal last week.

Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I drug alongside heroin and LSD.

Trump confirms the White House is "looking at that", but "it's early".

"We'll make a determination over the next few weeks," he says without adding what he would reclassify the drug as.

His announcement came after he spent some time talking about the "radical left" and "woke culture", touching on how people were tearing down statues of US historical figures. He says that as president, he's solved the problem and "largely ended" people being "woke".

Sakshi Venkatraman
Live reporter

President Trump just invoked something called Washington DC's "Home Rule Act" in his effort to federalise police in the city.

The Home Rule Act was actually designed to give residents more autonomy. So what does this mean and how is Trump using it?

What is home rule?

DC is the seat of the federal government, and it's also the only US city that's not in any of the 50 states. That means it lacks representation in Congress. It was run by presidential commissioners until 1973, after which former President Richard Nixon instituted "Home Rule Act," allowing residents to elect a city council and a mayor.

But it also reserves some powers for the president and Congress.

How is Trump using home rule to federalise DC police?

The Home Rule Act says the president can take control of the city's police force if "special conditions of an emergency nature exist”.

However, if the president intends to take over for longer than 48 hours, he needs to provide a written notice to Congress. Even if that notice is provided, he can't keep control for longer than 30 days.

Taking over DC police is an unprecedented steppublished at 16:29 British Summer Time

16:29 BST

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard to the streets of Washington DC was hinted in advance. His move to take over the city’s Metropolitan Police Department is an unprecedented step, injecting the White House deep into the day-to-day management of one of the nation’s largest municipal police forces.

Section 740 of the law granting Washington limited self-governance gives the president authority to take over city’s police department in emergency circumstances. The provision was included in the aftermath of the civil unrest of the 1960s, but no president has every used it – until now. This authority expires in 30 days unless Congress extends it.

Trump has identified a very real problem – homelessness and crime are a cause for concern in many American cities – but his means of addressing it is once again testing the limits of presidential power.

Trump introduces US attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, who he praises as having the "number one show" on TV before she joined his team.

"We all want a safe city," Pirro says. But at the moment she says she sees "too much violent crime being committed by young punks" who think they can "beat the hell out of you or anyone else".

They know they can get away with it because the laws against underage criminals are "too weak", she says.

"We see you, we're watching you, and we're going to change the law to catch you," she says.

Towards the beginning of today's news conference, Trump appears to have misspoken, telling reporters that he is "going to Russia on Friday".

"I'm going to see Putin," he said.

Trump announced last Friday that he would meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week - not Russia - as he aims to put an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks next, saying she wants to be "crystal clear" that "crime in DC is ending and it's ending today".

The government will use "every power we have to fight criminals", she says.

She names some of the officials who will be taking over law enforcement in the city, including "great" FBI director Kash Patel and "our secret weapon" Jeanine Pirro, the newly confirmed DC US attorney (and former Fox News host).

Feelings, not facts, drive Trump's crime crackdownpublished at 16:15 British Summer Time

16:15 BST

Nomia Iqbal
North America correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The stats don't actually show that crime is out of control; violent crime in DC has been on the decline since 2023.

Data from the Metropolitan Police here shows that total violent crime is at a 30-year low. But there have been incidents which trouble residents.

And so the president is successfully tapping into people's feelings and perceptions by highlighting criminal acts, including the attack on Elon Musk protégé Edward Coristine.

It's feelings, not facts that he's pushing.

Also for many residents here in liberal DC, where there isn't much electoral support for Donald Trump, it's ironic hearing a president talk about deploying National Guard troops.

It was something he was accused of failing to do on 6 January 2021 during the Capitol riot.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is now speaking to reporters. He says that at Trump's direction, the National Guard will be "flowing into the streets of Washington" in the coming week.

He adds that they are prepared to bring in other specialised National Guard units to the city.

Hegseth points to the recent deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles to quell protests against raids from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and says deployed troops will be working with police "to ensure this city is safe".

The National Guard hasn't been deployed to Washington DC since 6 January, 2021, when Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol.

Donald Trump steps aside from the podium now, and invites interior secretary Doug Burgum to speak.

He talks on behalf of the US Park Police, a federal law enforcement agency that will now be tasked with dealing with crime in DC.

Burgum describes how the park police have already begun work removing homeless camps and protecting national monuments as part of Trump's goals of "making DC safe and beautiful again".

It's time for "dramatic action", Trump says, ending his speech by announcing a raft of measures, including:

• Formally declaring a public safety emergency in Washington DC
• Pam Bondi taking control of the MPD
• The deployment of more police officers and FBI agents on the streets
• Removing criminal gangs from the city

Image source, Getty Images

Trump is now talking about police numbers, and says that he has been speaking to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in DC about staffing levels.

Although slimmed down, these forces still contain thousands of people; Trump gives a figure of "3,500".

"That's a lot of police," he says, suggesting that rules and regulations are required instead of more police numbers.

He then criticises the Biden administration's handling of the southern border, and claims that he "fixed the border" in the first week of taking office.

"We're getting rid of the slums too," Trump says, briefing turning to homelessness. "I know it's not politically correct. No, we're getting rid of the slums where they live." During this brief aside, he does not link homelessness to crime.

He pivots again, saying "caravans of mass youth" are "rampaging" through city streets and that he saw violent youths "fight back" against law enforcement last night.

These people "love to spit in the face of the police" and scream at officers an inch away from their faces, he says.

"You tell them: you spit and we hit," Trump says. "And they can hit real hard."

Trump says he has watched this happen for years.

Trump is now mentioning a former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) who was attacked recently.

Trump says he was "savagely beaten by a band of roaming thugs" and was "left dripping in blood". He says the former staffer says he can't believe he survived.

Trump has also mentioned other federal government employees and elected officials who have been attacked in DC, including a Democratic lawmaker and an intern.

"This affects the functioning of the federal government and is a threat to America," he says.

Trump addresses the assembled reporters directly, telling them they're "victims of it too".

"You don't want to get mugged and raped and shot and killed", he says.

Trump suggests the murder rate in Washington DC is higher than some "of the worst places on Earth" and says the number of car thefts and car jackings has also increased.

On crime rates, the president talks about a peak in 2023, but as we've been reporting, statistics show crime has fallen in the US capital since then.

He says Washington DC has been "taken over by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals", as well as "drugged out maniacs and homeless people".

President Donald Trump begins by saying: "We are going to take our capital back."

He says that he plans to place the Washington DC Police Department under "direct federal control" using the District of Columbia Home Rule Act.

Trump says he will be deploying the national guard to DC and federalising the city's police department.

President Donald Trump is now beginning his news conference.

We'll be bringing you all the key lines from it here, and you can also watch live at the top of the page.

Image source, Reuters

A protest has formed outside the White House, drawing dozens of people who are opposed to Trump's pledge that the federal government will crack down on crime and homelessness in Washington DC over city authorities.

They're chanting things like "hands off DC" and "protect home rule", holding signs that say "Free DC".

"Terrorizing families is not safety," a speaker at the event said. "Trump does not care about DC's safety, he cares about control."

Gareth Evans
Reporting from Washington DC

Image source, Getty Images

As we wait for the president to begin speaking, it's worth noting that federal agents have already been fanning out around Washington DC.

Trump wrote on his social media platform on Sunday that "The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY". "We want our Capital BACK," he added.

Later that day, a mix of federal agents were spotted around the city. In the Navy Yard area, I saw a group of four agents with FBI uniforms wandering close to a busy area with bars and restaurants.

Other branches of federal law enforcement have also been seen in the city, including agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and US Border Patrol. About 450 federal law enforcement officers were deployed in total on Sunday.

They have been patrolling in busy areas, such as popular tourist sites and nightlife spots.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Whitehead, the executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, spoke to the BBC last night after Trump said homeless people “must” move out of Washington DC.

Whitehead says Trump is conflating homelessness and crime, adding that people who are unhoused are more likely to be victims of a crime than to perpetrate crimes themselves.

"Homelessness is not a crime - people are forced into homelessness. It is more likely a person experiencing homelessness will be a victim of crime rather than actually be involved a crime themselves," he says.

He adds that when encampments where unhoused people are staying are moved, crime actually goes up rather than going down. Whitehead says homelessness has increased across the country - and Washington DC is no exception.

“There are right now somewhere in the neighbourhood of 6,000 people experiencing homelessness in DC,” he tells the BBC.

He says homelessness has increased because of larger structural issues like the rising cost of housing.

“The president promised to address prices and inflation and we haven’t seen that,” Whitehead says. Whitehead says he is “very concerned” about where Trump will move people who are unhoused in DC as he has pledged to do.