President Donald Trump has renewed threats to seize federal control of Washington, D.C., after one of his closest allies in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — Edward Coristine, nicknamed “Big Balls” — was assaulted in an attempted carjacking in the city’s Logan Circle neighborhood.
Authorities said two 15-year-olds were arrested in connection with the early morning attack, which occurred at about 3 a.m. Sunday, as Coristine and his partner sat in a vehicle. Police said a group of teenagers approached the car, made a comment about taking it, and attacked Coristine after he pushed his companion into the vehicle for safety. Officers nearby intervened as the teens fled.
Coristine is one of the most recognizable faces in Trump’s DOGE program, a controversial initiative created to slash federal bureaucracy. The attack prompted a quick response from Trump, who, in a Truth Social post and White House remarks Tuesday, claimed crime in the District is “out of control.”
“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,” Trump wrote.
Several D.C. residents pushed back online, accusing the president of using a single incident to justify an unconstitutional power grab.
“Poverty and crime always go together,” said Karem Amelia. “The convicted felon in chief’s intensifying of wealth inequality is just going to make the problem worse, but what does he care — the prison industrial complex will make more money. A more reasonable approach would be to get at the root of the problem, reducing income and wealth disparities.”
Frederick Littlejohn said Trump’s comments should be seen for what they are: a test run.
“Trump has chosen the most vulnerable city for taking over to perfect the plan to use in the wide America,” Littlejohn said. “I am hoping the Congress recognizes what he is doing and understands the danger of letting this happen, but I don’t hold out hopes.”
Danny Lowe compared Trump’s takeover threat to Elon Musk’s tactics around Dogecoin.
“Trump taking over D.C. will be like Musk and DOGE. It will start with a lot of hype, fantastical claims, and firings that get attention. Then, as the newly emplaced people get overwhelmed and fail to deliver any meaningful change, the attention goes away,” Lowe said. “In a couple of months, Trump will create a new distraction, and no one will remember anything but the hype.”
Bill Jacobson warned that Trump’s version of “law and order” could mean military-style rule in the nation’s capital.
“Trump loves an opportunity to exaggerate, and one incident turns magically into 100,” Jacobson said. “Admittedly, any incident of violence is one too many, and there definitely needs to be a correction. It’s just that a Trump-style solution will be the equivalent of martial law in our nation’s capital, and I really don’t find that acceptable at all.”
Pamela Budden offered a different solution: “Or you could make D.C. a state so it could have elected representatives at the federal level to better take care of itself and eliminate the problem of their taxation without representation.”
Lee Wynne said Trump’s comments fit a pattern of chaos and distraction that’s defined his political rise.
“Once Trump exits the stage politically or otherwise, it’ll be like the nation exhaling after holding its breath for a decade,” Wynne said. “His presence injects chaos into everything. Every institution becomes a battlefield. Every disagreement becomes a war. Every norm becomes optional, if not outright mocked.”
While Wynne said the change won’t be overnight when Trump exits office, “the temperature will drop.”
“The constant crisis mode will fade,” Wynne continued. “People will disagree again without fearing democracy itself is on the chopping block. That’s not just peace, that’s sanity. And we desperately need it.”