“Truthfulness has never been counted among the political virtues, and lies have always been regarded as justifiable tools in political dealings.”
– Hanah Arendt
DC is now under federal occupation. Strangely absent from the conversation are all of the “don’t tread on me,” second amendment types. Nevertheless, this morning Trump announced that he will take control of Washington DC’s police force (Metro PD) and deploy the National Guard under the pretense that crime is constituting a “public safety emergency.” This is a lie. A total fabrication. Crime in DC is down 35 percent year to date.
Unfortunately, we can’t let reality get in the way of authoritarianism. Which is why hundreds of federal agents from the FBI, ATF, DEA, and US Marshals are also patrolling DC’s city streets. Pictures of these goon squads, in full tactical kit, have already started flooding social. Naturally, they’re posted up in the usual “high density crime areas” like Dupont Circle, Ust, and Chinatown.
In June, I wrote a column called The Point of No Return, about the deployment of the National Guard and US Marines to Los Angeles. Then, as now, these deployments came under the guise of a manufactured crisis. The point is obviously to consolidate power, and comes straight from the authoritarian playbook. What once looked like slow authoritarian creep, doesn’t look so slow anymore. Not when it’s ghosting your doorstep in Virginia.
Let’s deconstruct this occupation in two parts (also, release the Epstein files).
The first part is pragmatic. Our friends, colleagues, and family in DC are now in a period of deep uncertainty. It’s unclear how long this citywide occupation may last or who’s really in charge. Metro PD will (I guess) take their orders from the executive, streets will be patrolled by federal agents with a loose chain-of-command, and the National Guard will operate at the president’s discretion. As national security analyst, Juliette Kayyem, pointed out on X: “Nobody is going to have any idea who is in charge, why, who reports to whom.”
But it’s also important to remember that the relationship Virginia shares with DC is not abstract. Not economically. Not politically. Not culturally. We are linked by geography, workforce, politics, and, most importantly, by the presence of our military and law-enforcement/intelligence agencies. And we have a governor who has fully capitulated to the MAGA agenda (vote Spanberger). He has made it clear that his national ambitions supersede the wellbeing and autonomy of his own constituents.
Because of this, we shouldn’t view this consolidation of power as esoteric to Virginia. If the precedent for a federally supported “public safety emergency” is entrenched in DC, there’s nothing stopping it from creeping across the river, given the right set of conditions. Eight months ago, I would have laughed at myself for writing those words. Today, we can’t be so naive.
The second part is strategic. We need to focus on why DC is uniquely vulnerable to this kind of takeover and why that matters for the entire country. As most should know, DC isn’t actually a state (those ‘taxation without representation’ licenses plates aren’t just clever slogans), has no governor, and its autonomy exists only by the grace of Congress. There’s no Gavin Newsom to fight this kind of fight. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has rejected Trump’s claims but has a much different kind of battle on her hands. One that lacks the legal or political tools that California could muster.
But here is the strategic real talk: DC is the beachhead of American governance. To take control of the nation’s capital isn’t just a ploy to distract us from the Epstein files or dominate a Democratic city under crisis framing. It’s to project the idea of federal power—Trump’s power—over the entire nation. This is about creating fear. This is about symbolism. The intent is obvious. The messaging is loud and clear.
It’s easy to divide America into red or blue, city vs. rural. But DC exists outside of that labeling as our nation’s capital, as the epicenter of American power. Everything ripples outward from here. And while I’ve found the controversy surrounding the Epstein files to be great political entertainment, reducing what’s happening in DC to mere distraction theatre misses the bigger point. Both things can be a distraction at the same time—don’t let them cancel each other out.
Back in June, when I wrote about the National Guard and US Marine deployment in Los Angeles, it was under the guise of restoring order during protests and “social unrest.” Maintaining that occupation was always going to be a hard sell to the public. Burning cars are a visible reference point, but eventually the cars stop burning. As the justification diminishes, we’re just left with soldiers occupying our city streets.
A “public safety emergency” in DC, by contrast, is largely invisible. There’s no national frame for what this looks like. Which means the justification for this kind of occupation is murkier. More subjective. More open to interpretation. Therefore, it’s much more dangerous. And the less visible the threat, the easier it is to manipulate… especially when raw executive power and blatant authoritarianism is the goal.
Wake up, Virginia. This is only happening 90 minutes up the road (depending on traffic).
Photo by Adam Bezer
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