WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump invited foreign leaders at the United Nations to join him for dinner in Washington, DC - to show off his efforts to reduce crime.

The offer came as Trump accused the United Nations during his speech Sept. 23 of supporting "an assault on western countries" by funding migrants and told diplomats their countries are "going to hell." But after reciting atrocities about migrant rape and child trafficking, he paused to note DC's crime rate was down since his Aug. 11 deployment of the National Guard in the nation’s capital.

“Washington DC is now a totally safe city again and I welcome you to come,” Trump told the diplomats in New York. “In fact, we’ll have dinner together at a local restaurant.”

"In fact, we’ll walk,” Trump added. “We don’t have to go by armor-plated vehicle. We’ll walk right over there from the White House.”

Trump had celebrated the reduction in crime by dining out Sept. 9 at Joe’s Seafood, a few blocks from the White House, with Cabinet secretaries and other aides.

Trump didn’t mention at the UN that he viewed four protesters who screamed at him before the meal as being “a threat” that warranted a federal investigation.

Trump initially took over DC’s Metropolitan Police Department because of what he called rampant crime. He also deployed hundreds of National Guard troops, as he has in Los Angeles.

“The National Guard took care of business,” Trump said at the UN. “They weren’t politically correct but they took care of business.”

The deployments sparked several lawsuits, as state and local officials argue against wielding the military to assist civilian law enforcement. But the troops remain deployed as the litigation continues.

More than 2,300 National Guard troops are deployed in DC, with nearly 1,000 from the city and nearly 1,400 from eight states.

The troops in DC have cleared 1,073 bags of trash, spread 1,045 cubic yards of mulch, removed 50 truckloads of plant waste, cleared 6.7 miles of roadway and painted 270 feet of fencing, according to the Guard.

“Everyone’s going out to dinner, they’re going out to restaurants,” Trump told the diplomats. “Your wife can walk down the middle of the street, with or without you. Nothing is going to happen.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'We'll walk': Trump invites UN dignitaries to dinner in DC, no armor-plated vehicle needed

Reporting by Bart Jansen, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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