Tipsheet

Trump Gives D.C. Homeless Two Options

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  August 13, 2025 12:15 PM

On Tuesday, the White House drew a sharp line for Washington’s homeless in the wake of President Trump’s citywide cleanup. The message was blunt: accept assistance and treatment, or go to jail.

"Seventy homeless encampments have been removed by the U.S. Park Police," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced during Tuesday's briefing. "There are only two homeless encampments remaining in D.C. federal parks under the National Park Service's jurisdiction, and the removal of those two remaining camps is scheduled for this week."

A reporter asked Leavitt what alternative options were available to the homeless following the destruction of their encampments. Her answer was simple: "Homeless shelters, for addiction and mental health services, or jail if they refuse, are the options on the table right now."

Leavitt emphasized that the core problem was not a lack of laws, but a failure to enforce them. Trump’s federalization of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), she argued, is meant to back officers with the resources and authority needed to do exactly that.

President Trump floated the idea of relocating the homeless encampments to various locations outside the District of Columbia. Leavitt confirmed the administration is "exploring" that option.

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Fox News Digital went to see for themselves if the homeless had been cleared out, and they found that areas known to have many homeless people had been cleared out since Monday, with only scattered trash and belongings left behind. Downtown D.C., however, was still ripe with encampments.  

On Monday, President Trump announced that he would be federalizing the MPD and supporting them with federal law enforcement, including the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI, in an effort to make D.C. safe again. Since the announcement, law enforcement has become much more active on the streets of the capital. The first night of increased police presence and genuine law enforcement resulted in 23 arrests for crimes ranging from drunk driving to homicide.