At an extraordinary news conference on Monday, President Donald Trump revealed plans to take over the Washington, D.C. police department and deploy National Guard troops in the nation's capital to combat what he says it rampant violent crime that statistics show is actually decreasing.

The US president has declared a public safety emergency as he promises to tackle crime and homelessness in the nation's capital.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he was deploying 800 National Guard troops to Washington and temporarily taking over the city's police department, an extraordinary assertion of presidential power in the nation's capital.