Donald Trump Cites Lesson From Father To Clean 'Dirty' Washington, Elon Musk Reacts

US President Donald Trump on Monday invoked a piece of advice from his late father and defended his latest law-and-order push to "clean" Washington.

"My father [Fred Trump] always used to tell me...he was a wonderful father, very smart, he used to tell me, 'Son, when you walk into a restaurant and you see a dirty front door, don't go in. Because if the front door is dirty, the kitchen is dirty also," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"Same thing with our capital. If our capital is dirty, our whole country is dirty. So they don't respect us."

Sharing the video on X, Elon Musk responded, "Well said."

Well said https://t.co/rmJqXSKNU6

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 11, 2025

Trump's remarks came as he defended his decision to place Washington, DC's Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and deploy around 800 National Guard troops, calling it a "public safety emergency."

Acting under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act and his direct authority over the DC Guard, the order allows federal control for 48 hours, extendable to 30 days with congressional notification. The Guard, operating under Title 32 status, will support but not replace local police.

The deployment mirrors a June episode in Los Angeles, when Trump sent about 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 Marines during protests over ICE immigration raids. California sued, arguing the move violated the Tenth Amendment and the Posse Comitatus Act, and a federal judge ruled Trump had exceeded his authority.

The public exchange between Trump and Musk indicates a thaw in what was not too long ago a tense relationship. Once seen as close friends and allies, the two clashed in June after Musk criticised Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill." He even claimed the US President was on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's list.

Trump fired back, calling Musk a "train wreck" and threatening to revoke Tesla subsidies. Musk responded by proposing the "America Party," a third political force aimed at restoring freedoms in what he described as a "one-party system."

Tensions escalated when Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, labelled Trump "the most notorious criminal" in Washington, DC, referencing his felony convictions, before the comment was deleted.