Trump to seek $2 billion for DC cleanup, calls city a ‘hellhole’

President Donald Trump said Friday he will ask Congress for $2 billion to fund an ambitious campaign to clean up and “beautify” Washington, DC, arguing the capital has become safer under his administration’s direct intervention but still requires sweeping changes, reports Roll Call.

Speaking at the White House Historical Association’s new museum, Trump called the city a “hellhole” before his administration assumed policing responsibilities. He credited the deployment of the DC National Guard and federal agents, coupled with city police, for reducing crime, though critics dispute the data. Trump noted, inaccurately, that DC recorded “no murders in the last week for the first time in anybody’s memory.”

The president said the funds would be spent “wisely” and suggested Clark Construction would be tapped for contracts. His plan envisions revitalizing a three-mile radius around the White House and Capitol, which he promised would be “beautiful.”

The request faces uncertain prospects in Congress, where far-right fiscal conservatives have resisted large domestic spending initiatives. Trump insisted lawmakers were “happy to do it,” but his call for $2 billion will test Republican unity.

Trump also renewed attacks on Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, saying she needed to “get on the ball” to improve the city’s governance. He accused DC officials of publishing “phony numbers” on crime and reiterated his long-standing criticism of the district as unsafe and poorly managed.

Beyond the cleanup plan, Trump urged Congress to repeal the 1973 Home Rule Act, which granted limited self-government to the district, and to eliminate policies like “cashless bail” as part of what he described as a forthcoming “D.C. crime bill.”