On August 10, as President Trump was driving through Washington DC to a golf club, he became irritated by a homeless tent area on a grassy area along his route. That morning, he posted four photos he had taken on social media with a threatening message: "The homeless must move immediately!"

According to a report on August 16, a man named Bill Theodie, who was sitting in a camping chair next to a tent in Trump's photos, was forced to leave the homeless encampment shortly after Trump announced his crackdown on Washington's homeless population.

"That's me," Theodie said when first shown the photo. "It's crazy that he leaned out of his car window to take my picture and then posted it on social media in a negative way, using it as his political tool."

On August 14, Theodie and other residents were told to pack up and leave immediately. Local media captured footage of a bulldozer being deployed to demolish tents and belongings left by residents.

"They said, 'You have to pack up, or we'll bulldoze it down.' They weren't there to talk, but to say 'go, go, go,'" Theodie recalled.

The Washington DC municipal government stated that homeless camps had already been removed throughout the capital, with Theodie's camp being the city's largest, housing 11 people.

Beyond threatening to remove all homeless people from Washington, Trump also held a press conference at the White House on August 11, declaring a "public safety emergency" and invoking emergency provisions of the Home Rule Act to temporarily take control of the District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department. He deployed approximately 800 National Guard soldiers, vowing to "liberate Washington."

However, Trump's administration's actions have raised concerns among many homeless individuals, who say law enforcement wants all people sleeping on the streets to leave the capital's streets, but they have nowhere to go.

Theodie's tent camp was located about 10 minutes by car from the White House. After Trump's August 11 announcement, local officials were already on site warning residents to relocate as soon as possible.

The 66-year-old Theodie from Missouri works in construction but has been without full-time employment since 2018. He had lived at the camp for many years and was sitting in the same camping chair captured in Trump's photo.

Theodie said he had seen Trump's motorcade pass by before. "The president's motorcade is long, I've seen it pass here three times," he said. "You know, I understand he doesn't want to see chaos, so we specifically kept things tidy. We didn't want to disrespect the president or anyone passing by."

According to Washington DC's annual statistics, this year's homeless population is estimated at 5,138 people, down from 5,613 in 2024. Data from Community Partnership, an organization dedicated to reducing homelessness, shows that approximately 800 people are unsheltered, while about 4,300 have some form of temporary housing.

The White House stated it would provide shelters for street homeless individuals and offer drug rehabilitation or mental health services, but those who refuse would face fines or imprisonment.

"You can't just grab people and threaten to arrest them or force them to go to shelters," Theodie said. "I don't want to go to a shelter; they're terrible."

Organizations serving the homeless also indicate that the government's systems and mechanisms are flawed because shelter capacity is typically limited.

Since leaving the camp, Theodie has stayed at a motel in Virginia for three nights. After checking out, he will try to find new accommodation: "My best option is to find a safe place to pitch a tent. I don't know exactly where, but I want to stay in Washington DC."

Trump previously announced he would take measures to "fundamentally stop violent crime in the nation's capital" and vowed to remove all homeless people. He stated that the US government has begun taking steps to "remove people from underground passages and public spaces throughout the city."

Trump said that over 500 federal agents had been deployed to Washington DC last week, with plans to add approximately 800 more National Guard soldiers. As of the evening of August 12, law enforcement had arrested 66 people within two days in Washington.

Army spokesman Dave Butler said most National Guard soldiers are locals, with plans to deploy in batches of 200 to achieve 24-hour shift coverage. Currently, the National Guard will primarily provide logistical and administrative support, allowing DC police to free up more officers.

Trump's actions have drawn strong criticism from Democratic Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser. After maintaining relatively restrained language the previous day, Bowser accused Trump's behavior as "authoritarian" on August 12 and called on Washington residents to defend their self-governance rights.

"This is a time when the community needs to stand up, and each of us needs to do what we can within our own sphere and responsibilities to protect our city, protect our autonomy, protect our local governance, get through this difficult period, and ensure the election of a Democratic-controlled House to provide backup for us to deal with this authoritarian behavior," Bowser said at a meeting with community leaders.

Democrats believe Trump's recent series of measures targeting Washington are intended to divert public attention from the Epstein case, tariff issues, and tax legislation.

On August 13, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted on social platform X, calling Trump's behavior a "political strategy" attempting to divert public attention from Trump's "other scandals." "If he really cared about the people of Washington DC, he would demand the House finally release the billion dollars in funding that has been stalled for months."

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made similar criticisms: "Donald Trump delayed deploying the National Guard on January 6, when our Capitol was under violent attack and lives were at stake. Now, he is activating the DC Guard to divert attention from his incompetent mishandling of tariffs, healthcare, education, and immigration issues—just to name a few examples."

On August 16, three additional Republican-led states responded to the Trump administration's request, indicating they would send up to 750 National Guard soldiers to join the 800 already deployed in Washington DC.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said he would deploy 200 soldiers to "stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump in efforts to restore law and order to our nation's capital."

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said he would send 150 personnel from the state's National Guard, who will arrive in Washington DC in the coming days. Previously, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey had also indicated he would mobilize 300 to 400 National Guard soldiers.

These new deployment actions mark a significant escalation of Trump's so-called "takeover of the capital" law enforcement efforts. Meanwhile, there are signs that these soldiers may soon carry weapons, contrary to their initial orders. An informed source indicated that these forces are currently awaiting written instructions from senior Defense Department officials.