President Donald Trump on Wednesday slammed critics who have labeled his actions as “dictatorial” following his decision to deploy National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., to combat rising crime.
Speaking at an event at The Kennedy Center, Trump firmly rejected accusations that his intervention was authoritarian, instead framing the move as a necessary step to restore safety in the nation’s capital.
“Already they’re saying, ‘He’s a dictator!’ The place is going to hell, and we got to stop it,” Trump said. “So instead of saying ‘He’s a dictator,’ they should say ‘We’re going to join him in making Washington safe,’” he added.
President Trump slams Democrats for criticizing his efforts to make DC safe again:
“They say ‘he’s a dictator!’ and then they end up getting mugged.” pic.twitter.com/3F5VDWewE8
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) August 13, 2025
The president also took a swipe at his detractors, suggesting that those who criticize his actions would “end up getting mugged” if they did not support his efforts to address the violent crime surge.
The deployment placed National Guard troops at key locations across Washington, such as the National Mall and Navy Yard.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) accused the president of “playing dictator” and pushing the country’s democratic foundations to the “brink.”
“He’s playing dictator in our nation’s capital as a dress rehearsal as he pushes democracy to the brink,” Van Hollen wrote on social media.
The Maryland senator also pointed out the hypocrisy of Trump’s actions, saying that if the president truly cared about the district’s safety, he would not have blocked the city from spending funds to support local police and services.
TRUMP TO ASK CONGRESS FOR ‘SECURITY FUND’ TO COMBAT DC CRIME
“By the way, Trump couldn’t care less about safety in D.C. or the people of D.C.,” Van Hollen added. “If he did, he wouldn’t have blocked D.C. from spending $1 billion of its OWN money to fund its OWN police department, schools, and more.”
Despite the backlash, Trump has continued to stand by his decision, stressing the importance of public safety.
