Pete Hegseth Responds to Claims That He and Trump Want ‘Martial Law’

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.

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, which he completely has, and you know why they don’t like him? He’s got the guts to do it. He’s got the guts to say, I’m gonna federalize the police that don’t work. I’m gonna bring in the National Guard. I’m gonna bring in federal marshals.”

Trump, during a Monday news conference at the White House: “This is liberation day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back.”

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, in a statement sent to Newsweek on Monday: “This is the latest effort by the president to distract from the issues he should be focused on—including the roller coaster of the U.S. economy thanks to his policies. When it comes to public safety in Baltimore, he should turn off the right-wing propaganda and look at the facts. Baltimore is the safest it’s been in over 50 years. Homicides are down 28% this year alone, reaching the lowest level of any year on record. We still have real work to do to build on this progress—but that work starts and ends here in Baltimore, with the local, state, and federal partners who have gotten us this far.”

Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington, D.C., told MSNBC: “It is true that we had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023—this is 2025. We’ve achieved that by working with the community, the police, our prosecutors, and, in fact, the federal government.”

What Happens Next?

The 30-day federal control period will test the administration’s approach to urban crime management. Trump’s threats to extend similar measures to other Democratic-led cities will likely face legal challenges and political opposition.