In an executive order giving his administration temporary jurisdiction over policing Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump claimed that “crime is out of control in the District of Columbia” and that there is “rising violence in the capital,” although — as objectors point out — after a spike in 2023, violent crime in D.C. declined in 2024 and has declined again so far in 2025.
Citing both a longstanding dissatisfaction with the district’s law enforcement and a carjacking attempt last week involving a former DOGE employee, Trump deployed 800 National Guard troops in the city after the EO. MAGA-aligned U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) appeared on Fox News to defend the controversial move, which critics have labelled an unprecedented power grab by the executive branch.
[Note: The Metropolitan Police Department reported that two 15-year-old suspects were arrested on charges of unarmed carjacking. Trump suggested that minors involved in such crimes should be prosecuted as adults, “starting at 14.”]
On Fox News, Mullin said: “I’m not joking when I say this, I drive around in Washington, DC in my Jeep — yes, I do drive myself — and I don’t buckle up and the reason why I don’t buckle up — and people can say whatever they want to, they can raise their eyebrows at me again — is because of carjacking. I don’t want to be stuck in my vehicle when I need to exit in a hurry because I have a seatbelt around me.”
Markwayne Mullin: “I’m not joking when I say this. I drive around Washington DC in my Jeep — yes, I do drive myself — and I don’t buckle up. And the reason I don’t buckle up — and people can say whatever they want — is because of carjacking. I don’t want to be stuck in my… pic.twitter.com/H9WjU233GG
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 14, 2025
Mullin added, “I wear my seatbelt all the time but in Washington DC I do not ’cause it is so prevalent of carjacking. And I don’t want the same thing happening to me what’s happened to a lot of people who work on the Hill.”
[Note: The Metropolitan Police Department also reported that carjackings in the city are down 38% this year compared to last year.]
According to personal injury law firm Regan Zambri Long, “Under DC law, the driver of a motor vehicle and all passengers must wear a seatbelt at all times, in the front and back seats. This requirement applies to all vehicles including rideshare and taxicab services. Failure to comply with Washington, DC seatbelt laws can result in a $50 fine and two points on the driver’s license.”
More than one on social media responded to Mullin admission that he’s breaking the seatbelt requirement law in the D.C. “He just admitted to a crime,” wrote one, “Where are the police to ticket him? Proof the law only applies to those who oppose them.” Another asked, “Wouldn’t no seatbelt make the carjacking faster?”
New Hampshire — where the license plates feature the state motto “Live Free or Die” — is currently the only U.S. state with no law requiring adults to wear seat belts in a vehicle.