President Donald J. Trump signaled Friday that his bold federal intervention to clean up Washington, D.C., may soon serve as a blueprint for restoring law and order in other Democrat-run cities plagued by rising crime and chaos.

Speaking during a visit to a White House museum across from the executive mansion, President Trump described his public safety initiative in the nation’s capital as a “test case,” suggesting that the results could guide similar efforts nationwide.

“A lot of people say, ‘Well, where is he going from there?’” Trump said. “Well, I have calls from politicians begging me to go to Chicago, begging me to go to New York, begging me to go to Los Angeles.”

The president emphasized that he prefers when local leaders openly request federal help to protect their communities. Washington’s Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser, however, has refused to acknowledge the city’s crime crisis.

“They don’t like to say it. I wish they’d say, ‘I need help,’” Trump said. “I wish the mayor of D.C. would say, ‘You know, we’re overridden with crime, and we need help.’”

Trump cited his earlier deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles over the objections of California’s governor, saying it was essential to quell violent demonstrations tied to immigration enforcement. He argued that without his decisive action, Los Angeles would have been unprepared to host the 2028 Summer Olympics.

“They would have ripped down that city,” Trump said of the anti-ICE protesters. “We went there, and it stopped Day 1.”

The president’s D.C. initiative has included deploying National Guard troops from several Republican-led states, taking temporary federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department under the city’s 1973 Home Rule Act, and launching a “beautification” effort to remove graffiti, fix roads, and restore public order. On Friday, Trump announced plans to ask Congress for $2 billion to improve the capital’s appearance and cultural institutions, promising to reverse what he calls the “woke” influence infecting Washington’s museums.

Last week, Trump said he would ask Congress to pass a comprehensive “crime bill,” initially focused on Washington but intended to serve as “a beacon for New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other places all over the country.”

Since taking action, Trump has touted a renewed sense of safety and even an economic boost in the city, claiming a surge in restaurant business since his federal takeover. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Friday that more than 700 arrests have been made and 91 illegal firearms seized since the crackdown began.

Trump and his team have made a point of thanking law enforcement directly. On Wednesday, the president brought pizza and hamburgers to U.S. Park Police officers involved in the safety initiative. The day prior, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and a senior White House official stopped at a Shake Shack near Union Station to greet National Guard troops, where they were met by left-wing protesters.

Washington remains unique in allowing the president direct law enforcement authority for up to 30 days without congressional approval, but Trump has made clear that his administration is prepared to take on America’s most crime-ridden cities if local and federal lawmakers will support the effort.