Trump slams DC crime as 'embarrassing' as he preps for high-stakes Putin meeting

"This is an emergency," Trump told the media during his press conference Monday morning announcing he is federalizing the. D.C. police force to curb crime in the city. "This is a tragic emergency. And it's embarrassing for me to be up here." 

Trump is scheduled to meet with Putin in Alaska Friday, which is strategically located between D.C. and Moscow. 

Trump declared a crime emergency in the nation's capital Monday and announced the National Guard and hundreds of other law enforcement officials from various agencies will descend on the city to prevent further crimes. 

"Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people," he said. "And we're not going to let it happen anymore. We're not going to take it." 

The crime trends in the nation's capital have ebbed and flowed in the subsequent years, including carjackings, shootings and murders spiking before Trump reclaimed the Oval Office in January. The city has been plagued by a handful of high-profile crimes in recent weeks, including the fatal shooting of a congressional intern in June, the fatal shooting of a pair of Israeli embassy staffers in May, and a brutal attack on a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer earlier in August. 

Trump's press conference comes just days ahead of his planned meeting with Putin Friday in Alaska to discuss the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. 

Trump said he will know if Putin is sincere about making aa deal to end the war within minutes of meeting with him. The president added that "land swapping" between the two nations will likely be part of the deal. 

"We're going to have a meeting with Vladimir Putin. And at the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I'll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made," he said. 

"How do you know," a reporter responded. 

"Because that's what I do. I make deals," Trump shot back before moving on to another question.