Trump’s DC Power Play: National Guard... Federal Police...and His Own Patrol... Under the Guise of ‘Crime Control’
From Putin to Pennsylvania Avenue: The Authoritarian Script in Action
Trump’s DC Power Play: National Guard… Federal Police…and His Own Patrol…Under the Guise of ‘Crime Control’
From Putin to Pennsylvania Avenue: The Authoritarian Script in Action
The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #498: Thursday, August 21st, 2025.
The Sirens Are for Show. The Power Grab Is Real.
Donald Trump didn’t march down Pennsylvania Avenue with tanks. He didn’t need to.
All it took was a signature and a microphone.
He declared a “Crime Emergency” in Washington, D.C. under the dusty old Home Rule Act.
And with that, he seized control of the capital’s police force, dispatched federal officers, ordered out the National Guard, and then…because the man is never satisfied with mere pageantry…announced he would personally ride alongside police and military patrols.
That’s not law enforcement. That’s theater. That’s authoritarian cosplay dressed up as patriotism.
And the kicker? Violent crime in D.C. is at record lows. The numbers don’t justify this. But authoritarians never need numbers. They need only a narrative.
The “Emergency” That Wasn’t
Let’s strip the paint off this scam.
Violent crime in the District has fallen sharply over the past two years. Homicides… carjackings…robberies…all trending down. D.C. is safer today than it has been in a decade.
So why declare a “Crime Emergency”?
Because Trump needed a pretext. A made-for-TV justification to send federal muscle into the streets of the capital and shatter a precedent as old as Home Rule itself: that D.C. governs its own policing.
That precedent is now gone. Burned. Torn up. And replaced by the sight of National Guardsmen and federal officers on corners where ordinary D.C. cops used to stand.
This wasn’t about crime. It was about control.
The Spectacle Playbook
Autocrats know that force without pageantry is wasted.
Putin rolls tanks not just to move metal…but to move hearts and minds into submission.
Erdogan floods Turkish streets with riot police because the sight itself is meant to break opposition before a baton ever swings.
Orbán in Hungary thrives on staged “emergencies” that condition citizens to accept government force as normal.
Trump studied all of them. And now he’s running the same script in America.
The “emergency” is the excuse. The sirens are the soundtrack. The uniforms are the set design. And Trump’s little promise to ride along in patrols? That’s the strongman’s cameo.
It’s spectacle. It’s manipulation. It’s conditioning.
And once people get used to it in D.C….they’ll get used to it anywhere.
Who Benefits From the Fear?
Follow the money. You’ll always end up at the truth.
The winners here aren’t ordinary citizens. They’re the corporate allies in security… defense contracting…and surveillance tech who will rake in billions outfitting this “emergency.”
They’re the political allies who get cover under chaos…pushing through policies no one would accept in calmer times.
And of course…Trump himself: the master of the distraction economy.
While the cameras chase his “crime patrol,” the stories he doesn’t want you reading….Epstein files…mass federal layoffs…inspector general purges…fade into the background.
The spectacle serves as the smokescreen. And corporate America…terrified of his blacklist…goes along quietly.
The Slippery Slope Has Grease on It
If Trump can seize D.C. police powers under a fake “crime emergency”…what’s next?
Could he declare an “immigration emergency” in California or New York… deploying ICE and military patrols on state streets?
Could he declare an “election emergency” to federalize polling locations…voter rolls…and ballot counts?
Could he deploy federal power in any city that fails to show sufficient “loyalty”?
You bet he could. And after D.C….the argument gets easier…not harder. Precedent is a powerful weapon.
The Pushback Begins
The resistance isn’t hypothetical. It’s already alive.
Local protests have erupted in D.C. under the banner “Fight the Trump Takeover.”
Civil rights groups are filing suits to challenge the constitutionality of Trump’s move.
Mayors and governors around the country are watching nervously…because they know they’re next.
The dam is cracking. The question is whether ordinary citizens keep pounding on it…or sit back and let the flood come.
If You Think This Was Unsettling, Wait Until You See the Receipts
Here’s what the mainstream outlets won’t give you.
Cities Trump Is Eyeing Next
Through chatter in law enforcement circles…union leaks…and DC insiders…I’ve pieced together the shortlist of places Trumpworld has circled for “crime emergencies”: Chicago…Philadelphia…Oakland…Atlanta…and Los Angeles.
These are the proving grounds. Blue strongholds. If Trump federalizes them…the precedent spreads coast to coast.
Pressure Scripts for Lawmakers
Use these word-for-word. Sharp. Unignorable.
Phone/Voicemail Script:
“I demand a public statement: Do you support or oppose Trump’s seizure of D.C. policing? And will you commit to blocking similar federal takeovers in other cities? Citizens are watching.”
Email/Letter Script:
“I’m demanding you push for hearings on Trump’s abuse of the Home Rule Act. If he can seize policing in D.C. under false pretenses, nothing stops him from declaring ‘emergencies’ anywhere. You represent the people, not Trump’s political theater.”
Social Media Script:
“.@[RepName]—Do you support Trump’s federal takeover of D.C. police? Yes or no. Stop hiding. Citizens deserve answers.”
Or, if you have a particular elected official you feel is not even approach the kind of pushback this moment demands…go off script. I certainly do.
This was to DNC Chair Ken Martin.In the same segment on MSNBC..he said two things that lit me on fire. I unapologetically torched him on every social media platform. Play time…is over:
1. “I think it’s wrong to say Democrats (elected) aren’t fighting.”
2. “I think it’s my job to go low, so everyone else (elected Dems) can go high.”
The man clearly has no understanding of what he is doing…or how to approach it. Instead…he argues for complacency. Not on my watch.
“Jack, are you taking it out on Republicans as well?” Seriously. If you have any doubts… come hang out on X for a day or two. I’m brutal.
However…remember…our leverage is with our own elected officials…not Republicans.
Blueprint for Citizen Resistance
Pick one city at a time. Focus fire. Chaos is his ally…discipline is ours.
Make it visible. Every call…every letter…every protest should be documented and shared. Show numbers. Show weight.
Pressure corporations. The money pipeline keeps this alive. Call out companies funding Trump-aligned PACs.
Don’t scatter. Target smart…stay on one issue until it hurts. Then move to the next.
Reward defiance. When leaders resist Trump’s seizure…flood them with support. That’s how we make courage contagious.
Closing Rally Cry
This was never about crime. It was about conditioning you to accept federal power in the streets…dressed up in red…white…and blue.
And once the sirens fade…and the soldiers step back…what remains is the precedent: a president who claims the right to declare emergencies wherever he pleases.
We can’t let this stand unchallenged. Not in D.C. Not anywhere.
The time to fight is before the pattern sets…before “law and order” becomes the excuse for power without limits.
Because the sirens aren’t for safety.
They’re the soundtrack of a democracy…being smothered…under the guise of control.
Stay strong. It’s imperative.
Back soon,
-Jack
My sister lived in the DC area for 35 years (1964-1989) and I lived there 9 years (1980-1989). I commuted from Arlington to Howard University for 3yrs via public transportation. I worked at the VA in DC. The Mall is one of the safest places, so is the very pricy Georgetown & DuPont Circle areas. Union Station is also in a good area. They are also high profile areas so he sent the troops there just for show. He did not send them in the high crime areas like SE area because it wouldn’t have the same visual effect. Let’s be honest, he actually doesn’t care about crime where “those type of people” live.
CNN, The Huffington Post, The Independent, Rolling Stone, and several major networks in September 2024 reported then vice-presidential candidate (JD) responding to questions on his false accusations that Haitians in Springfield Ohio were eating family pets. He is quoted as saying:
“If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do…”
The outright lying (Washington DC’s crime figures) and false staging (calling in the military and the threat of calling them in in other cities) are the modus operandi of this diabolic duo.
Physics comes into play here:
* Newton's First Law of Motion explains that objects stay still or keep moving unless a force stops them.
* Newton's Second Law of Motion shows that heavier objects need more force to move than lighter ones.
* Newton's Third Law of Motion says every action has an equal and opposite reaction, like pushing against a wall.
Thank you, Jack, the current fantastical staging and lies by the current president and the lockstep pace by his boy wonder must be stopped. Time is of the essence.