Trump's DC police takeover LIVE: National Guard occupy US capital as 850 deployed

The US National Guard are poised to occupy the streets of Washington DC on Tuesday night, after President Trump announced that he was federalising the capital's police force amid reports of a surge in crime. DC Mayor Muriel E. Bowser slammed the step as an "authoritarian" move against a Democrat stronghold.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that 850 troops had been surged into Washington DC on Tuesday, making just two dozen arrests in their first day with boots on the ground in the US capital.

She said: "They made a total of 23 arrests ... these arrests consisted of homicide, firearms offenses, possession with intent to distribute narcotics, fair evasion, lewd acts, stalking, possession of a high capacity magazine ... driving under the influence, reckless driving, and a bench warrant."

President Trump, who has been desperate to change the news cycle after weeks of scrutiny over his documented relationship with dead billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, spent much of Tuesday sharing the supportive messages of political allies. Many praised the president for his efforts to tackle the "crime wave" in DC.

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