Trump Previews Plan to Extend Control Over DC Police Beyond Time Limit

President Donald Trump told The Daily Signal he plans to work with Congress to extend the 30-day federalization of the Washington, D.C., police force.

“If it’s a national emergency, we can do it without Congress, but we expect to be before Congress very quickly,” Trump said at a press conference at the Kennedy Center. “And again, we think the Democrats will not do anything to stop crime, but we think the Republicans will do it almost unanimously.”

On Monday, Trump declared a state of emergency in Washington under the Home Rule Act, which allows the president to federalize the metropolitan police for 30 days. He said he plans to ask for “long-term extensions” because 30 days is not long enough.

“We’re going to need a crime bill that we’re going to be putting in, and it’s going to pertain initially to D.C,” Trump said. “It’s almost going to use it as a very positive example, and we’re going to be asking for extensions on that, long-term extensions, because you can’t have 30 days. Thirty days is, by the time you do it—we’re going to have this in good shape.”

After 30 days, both chambers of Congress would need to vote to pass an extension into law.

Though Trump plans to clean up the city “very quickly,” he said he will need more time, and he is optimistic Republicans will be on board.

“On the border, everyone said it would take years and you’d have to go back to Congress,” Trump said. “I never went to Congress for anything. I just said, close the border. And they closed the border, and that was the end of it. I didn’t go back to Congress.”

“We’re going to do this very quickly, but we’re going to want extensions,” he continued. “I don’t want to call a national emergency. If I have to, I will, but I think the Republicans in Congress will approve this pretty much unanimously.”