As Trump moves to deploy National Guard in D.C. — is Seattle next?

President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is deploying the National Guard in Washington, D.C. to make the capital safer, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

However, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb told AP that crime is not at emergency levels. After a 2023 spike, violent crime hit its lowest point in decades last year in D.C., a trend that has continued to decline in 2025.

Washington state lawmakers, along with KIRO Newsradio hosts, debated whether Seattle would see a similar response.

WA rep., KIRO host warn of similar move in Seattle

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., told KIRO Newsradio Seattle could be next.

“I think the president has made it clear that he is going to try to broaden his power as much as he possibly can,” he said. “I think we absolutely should be worried about what’s happening in Washington and what happened in Los Angeles, spreading to places like Seattle and elsewhere.”

KIRO host Gee Scott also sees Trump using federal power in other cities.

“This is the beginning, y’all,” Gee said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “Y’all know this is going to happen in other cities. It already happened in LA. It happened in D.C. You know it’s going to come to Chicago, and you know what they’re going to say, ‘I voted for this.'”

There is ‘zero chance’ of National Guard in Seattle, Seattle Red host says

Meanwhile, Seattle Red host Jason Rantz said there is “zero chance” the National Guard will be deployed in Seattle. He also believes the president made the right call.

“President Trump made the right decision, and if you’re upset, blame local politicians who continue to drop the ball on public safety,” he wrote to MyNorthwest. “This is a reminder that law and order isn’t optional, and if D.C. politicians won’t deliver it, Trump will.”

Smith believes that while more can be done in D.C. to bring crime under control, sending federal enforcement is a gross overstep of government authority and will likely make matters worse.

“I do not think this is a good step, and I think it could lead to more problems in more places,” he said. “That’s what we said when they sent the Marines and the National Guard into Los Angeles for no good reason. What does this say for the future, for where else President Trump might think to use the military for basically domestic law enforcement and simply to assert power that the Constitution does not give him?”

KIRO host John Curley warned the National Guard could escalate tensions unless crime drops.

“It’s gonna be odd, I don’t think it’s necessarily gonna have the effect that the president would like to have, and it’s only gonna make people that much more upset — unless you could start to see crime begin to come down,” he said on “The John Curley Show.”

WA rep.: ‘Trump just wants to assert power

Smith added that Trump’s move to take over the city’s police department is unnecessary.

“Trump just wants to assert power,” he remarked. “Look, we can’t forget. He is undermining our democracy every day and trying to replace it with an authoritarian government ruled by him, and he’s exerting his power in D.C. the same way he exerted his power in Los Angeles. And I think it’s illegal, I think it’s unconstitutional, I think it’s too much.”

Schwalb also saw Trump’s decision as “unnecessary and unlawful.”

The federal takeover could face a challenge in court, and Schwalb told AP his office is “considering all of our options.”

Contributing: The Associated Press

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