Trump’s D.C. takeover explained: Why videos are telling two stories

US President Donald Trump

Two weeks in on Trump's federalization of D.C. policing, social media are abuzz with duelling videos. The White House uploads posed vignettes of tactical officers kicking down apartments and arresting people, while residents upload reels of cherry blossoms, jazz bands, and festivals. At the same time, shaky cell phone video captures federal agents arresting people. These competing images tell of a battle over the capital's image in the national imagination, the Washington Post reported.

White House productions

The US administration has made slick, movie-style vignettes with titles such as "Operation Make D.C. Safe Again." There was one where US marshals arrested a man who, it was claimed, had hurled a sandwich at a policeman, to the sound of victory music. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement posted a video of agents destroying an anti-deportation banner, while a fresh TikTok account stood up US Vice President JD Vance as he stopped at Union Station with National Guard troops. The videos are framed by officials as proof of Trump's strong action.

Pushback by residents

Local voices have made Trump's own words the background against which they've showcased Washington's beauty. Viral Instagram and TikTok reels have provided a counterpoint to his description of D.C. as a "dirty, crime-ridden death trap" with sunsets, kite-flying, snow-covered streets, and neighbourhood celebrations. Influencers such as Mia Svirsky describe such clips as love letters to the city, fact-checking and protest rolled into one. Their message: the capital is safe, vibrant, and far removed from the president's description.

Street-level interactions

In addition to propaganda and counter-propaganda, citizens are filming federal presence in real-time. Videos show checkpoints with scores of agents, riders on mopeds getting tackled, and immigration enforcement outside Metros. Shaw's one of the videos that spread like wildfire documented agents pulling over a delivery man to inquire about his immigration status, which earned over a million views. Most of the videos are unedited and spontaneous, unleashing overreach terror and documenting charged truths of Trump's heightened law enforcement presence.

Politics of image-making

Experts cite the White House strategy as a reflection of the administration's media savvy. In producing slick videos and streaming them on TikTok and X, Trump's team acts more like a studio than a government, choreographing images to suit its agenda. Critics call the practice propaganda, while defenders argue that it shows toughness. To residents, the conflict of imagery is like theatre—a discomfiting mixture of real policing and staged spectacle, with the city poised between narratives.