‘A bunch of thugs’: Trump threatens to federalize D.C. over street crime
President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to federalize the government of the District of Columbia after a DOGE employee was brutally attacked on the street.
In a post on TruthSocial, the president also advocated for loosening the law to allow for the prosecution of people as young as 14 as adults.
Wrote Trump: “The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these ‘minors’ as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14. The most recent victim was beaten mercilessly by local thugs.
“Washington, D.C., must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see,” Trump added. “If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore.”
The post included an image of a young man “beat up by a bunch of thugs in D.C.,” whom Trump later referred to as someone from DOGE. According to the Gateway Pundit, the man was DOGE team member Edward Coristine — known as “Big Balls” from the early days of DOGE under Elon Musk — allegedly beaten by eight black teens after he stopped to defend a woman who was being assaulted.
Trump referred to the incident at an event celebrating plans for the Summer Olympic Games slated for Los Angeles in 2028.
WATCH:
.@POTUS: “Somebody from @DOGE was very badly hurt last night… a young man who was beat up by a bunch of thugs in D.C. Either they’re going to straighten their act out… or we’re going to have to federalize and run it the way it’s supposed to be run.” https://t.co/Z6Ywr9oYYX pic.twitter.com/yhg9mRfDaF
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 5, 2025
A few days ago, a gang of about a dozen young men tried to assault a woman in her car at night in DC.
A @Doge team member saw what was happening, ran to defend her and was severely beaten to the point of concussion, but he saved her.
It is time to federalize DC. pic.twitter.com/RPHKj7J3ti
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 5, 2025