Trump’s DC Takeover Continues to Grow Despite Impacts on Community

ALSO INSIDE: A Governor Steps up to Help Replace LGBTQ+ Hotline

Hi, Haley Lickstein here, filling in for Cam while he’s out. 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on IG.

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Since day one of Trump’s political career, people have desperately attempted to normalize his absurd abuses of power and blatant corruption – and 10 years later, much of corporate media remains a victim of their own attempts to return to a sense of normalcy.

It’s time to stop sane-washing the insanity.

What Happened

In a deeply troubling escalation, three more Republican governors—Mississippi’s Tate Reeves, Tennessee’s Bill Lee, and Louisiana’s Jeff Landry—have joined ranks with their counterparts in Ohio, South Carolina, and West Virginia in authorizing the deployment of their National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. This growing coalition of GOP-led states has now committed over 1,100 state troops to the nation’s capital under the guise of “cracking down on crime”—a phrase increasingly used by President Donald Trump to justify his heavy-handed and politically motivated demonstrations of force.

Let’s be clear: this is not about public safety in D.C. It’s about optics, political theater, and a disturbing power grab.

The militarization of our nation's capital follows an executive order signed nearly two weeks ago that effectively initiated a federal takeover of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. The administration has since caused a wave of chaos across the city’s law enforcement system, pressuring local police to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement in clear defiance of local laws that prohibit such coordination. Since the “D.C. Takeover” has begun, federal agents have arrested at least 160 undocumented individuals, creating a sense of fear and discomfort in communities across the district.

The irony here is striking. Many of the states sending troops—Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, and South Carolina—actually have significantly higher crime rates, including violent crime and assault, than Washington, D.C. Yet their leaders have chosen to export their resources and military personnel to occupy a city that has not requested their help, all to support a political stunt.

The Trump administration’s decision has had quick and intense implications on Washingtonians. Small businesses, already struggling in a post-pandemic economy, are being hit hard. Washington, D.C.’s once-thriving restaurant and nightlife scenes are experiencing a sharp downturn as residents and visitors avoid areas now patrolled by out-of-state troops and federal agents. According to reservation data, online bookings at local restaurants plummeted by over 25% in the days following Trump’s takeover announcement. Bars and nightlife venues are seeing similar declines, with owners citing a noticeable drop in foot traffic.

This is not governance—it’s a calculated act of political aggression. The deployment of troops and federal agents in a city that neither needs nor wants them is a dangerous precedent, one that prioritizes performative authoritarianism over real solutions.

Attempts to Sanewash

• Trump's return to 'law and order' highlights a sore spot for Democrats: crime policy

• National Guard troops from GOP-led states begin arriving in DC as part of Trump’s crime crackdown

Far-Right Spin

• DC paid protester requests surge a mid trumps federal takeover

• JD Vance reveals 'important lesson' he wants Americans to take away from DC

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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is stepping up where the federal government has fallen short. In response to the Trump Administration’s appalling decision to cut funding for LGBTQ+-specific crisis services through the national 988 Lifeline, Shapiro has directed the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to train hotline operators to support LGBTQ+ callers. His move aims to restore a vital safety net to youth in crisis who rely on trained counselors who understand their unique challenges.

The fact that this support had to be replaced at all is outrageous. Trump’s move to eliminate access to specialized LGBTQ+ services wasn’t about budget cuts; it was a targeted attack on a vulnerable community. Removing life-saving mental health resources from a population already facing elevated rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide is cruel—and that’s the point.

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