Democracy Dies in Darkness

We asked 604 D.C. residents about Trump’s takeover. Here’s what they said.

Though crime continues to be a concern, most residents strongly oppose Trump’s actions and don’t think they’ll make D.C. safer, a Washington Post-Schar School poll found.

August 20, 2025

10 min

National Guard troops walk along the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

By Joe Heim

Scott Clement

and

Emily Guskin

Washington, D.C., residents overwhelmingly oppose President Donald Trump’s decision last week to take over the D.C. police and order federal law enforcement and the National Guard onto District streets, and 65 percent don’t think his actions will make the city safer from violent crime, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.

What readers are saying

The comments reflect a strong opposition to the federal takeover of D.C. police and the presence of the National Guard, with many viewing it as a performative act by President Trump rather than a genuine effort to reduce crime. Critics argue that the move is more about control... Show more

This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments.

By Joe Heim

Joe Heim joined The Washington Post in 1999. He is a staff writer for the Metro section. @JoeHeim

By Scott Clement

Scott Clement is the polling director for The Washington Post, conducting national and local surveys on politics, the economy, the workplace and social issues since joining The Post in 2011. He previously worked on polling teams at the Pew Research Center and ABC News. @sfcpoll

By Emily Guskin

Emily Guskin is the deputy polling director at The Washington Post, specializing in public opinion about politics, election campaigns and public policy. She was part of The Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2024.@emgusk

Ways to read this article: