President Donald Trump made headlines earlier this month when he took control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.

Trump has since suggested that he may escalate that move beyond America's capital city, something which has brought protest from Democrats. 

Trump: "We're going to make our country very safe. … Chicago's a mess"

That's according to Fox News, which cited remarks that the president made while speaking with reporters in the Oval Office on Friday.

"After we do this, we'll go to another location, and we'll make it safe, also," Trump was quoted as saying. "We're going to make our country very safe. … Chicago's a mess."

"Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities," Johnson declared.

"An unlawful deployment would be unsustainable and would threaten to undermine the historic progress we have made," the mayor added.

Washington sees a week with no murders

Meanwhile, Fox News noted how FBI Director Kash Patel touted the effects of Trump's Washington crackdown in a statement of his own on Thursday.

"This is a team effort across multiple federal partners — they’re working around the clock to get it done and your capital city is safer every day because of it," Patel insisted.

The FBI director's claim was supported by an email sent to Fox News on Thursday by Metropolitan Police Department public information officer Michael Russo.

Russo asserted that "there have been no recorded homicides in the city for the past week. Our last recorded homicide was August 13th."

Attorney general announces arrest of suspected MS-13 gang member

For her part, Attorney General Pam Bondi put up a social media post on Friday evening which similarly heralded the progress being made.

🚨 719 arrests and 91 illegal guns seized in Washington, DC

Just yesterday we made 40 arrests, took 5 more illegal firearms off our streets, and had 36 ICE arrests—including a suspected MS-13 gang member.

Thank you @POTUS for your unwavering support to make DC safe again! pic.twitter.com/WzFM9QAuBg

— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) August 22, 2025

"Just yesterday we made 40 arrests, took 5 more illegal firearms off our streets, and had 36 ICE arrests—including a suspected MS-13 gang member," she pointed out.