U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed back against critics who say President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to impose martial law, following the president’s announcement of sweeping federal intervention in Washington, D.C.
Speaking on Fox News’ eponymous The Ingraham Angle, with host Laura Ingraham, Hegseth defended the deployment of up to 1,000 National Guard troops and federal takeover of the nation’s capital police department as lawful measures to restore order.
Why It Matters
Trump’s invocation of emergency powers to federalize D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department represents one of the most aggressive federal interventions in local law enforcement in recent history.
The move sets a precedent that could extend to other cities, with Trump specifically naming Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Baltimore as potential targets for similar federal deployments.
Martial law is a term that references the military seizing control of a civilian area during an emergency.
What To Know
Trump invoked Section 740 of the 1973 D.C. Home Rule Act, allowing federal control for 30 days, with congressional approval required for extensions. The intervention was triggered following the August assault on Edward “Big Balls” Coristine, a 19-year-old former Department of Government Efficiency staffer, in a Logan Circle carjacking attempt.
During the Fox News interview, Ingraham pressed Hegseth on martial law concerns: “The question of martial law keeps getting raised by the left that Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth want to impose martial law, as authoritarians would.”
The defense secretary responded by pointing to Los Angeles as an example, noting the deployment of 4,000 California National Guard troops and Marines during immigration protests. “They were the troops available to ensure that we de-escalated the situation and didn’t allow other lawbreakers to say, ‘Look, it’s wide-open. We can do whatever we want in these sanctuary cities,'” he said.
Hegseth directly addressed critics’ concerns about targeting political opponents: “I was told, ‘Oh, you’re going to lock up political opponents. You’re going to go after Democrat, yada, yada. It’s the same stuff every time. Mischaracterizing our intentions.”
He said that Trump’s approach involves using “legal and lawful and constitutional means,” including federalizing police departments, deploying National Guard units and bringing in federal marshals when local law enforcement proves inadequate.
But the federal takeover in the nation’s capital accompanies contradictory crime data. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, violent crime in D.C. has dropped to a 30-year low, with violent offenses falling 35 percent in 2024 and declining another 26 percent this year.
Trump called Monday “liberation day,” announcing plans for a broader “beautification” campaign including abolishing homeless encampments, launching street repairs and adding amenities like a White House ballroom.
Ingraham: The left says Trump and Hegseth, they want to impose martial law as authoritarians… to that you say?
Hegseth: To that I say look at Los Angeles… pic.twitter.com/Ev3nhrYmnx
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 11, 2025
What People Are Saying
Hegseth also said on The Ingraham Angle Monday: “The intentions of this president is to establish law and order using legal and lawful and constitutional means,