Trump says federal government should ‘take over’ DC
President Donald Trump is thinking of adding local government to his list of responsibilities.
Returning to Washington, D.C., from Florida late Wednesday, he mused that the federal government should “take over” the district.
“I think that we should govern the District of Columbia,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely flawless … and I think we should take over Washington, D.C.”
While it’s not clear what Trump envisions, a true federal takeover of Washington would mean overturning the Home Rule Act of 1973, which provided the district with an elected mayor and city council for the first time.
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Congress retains ultimate control over the district, though it rarely interferes in the city’s matters. It overturned a local crime bill two years ago, but that was the first time Congress had overridden D.C. legislation since 1991.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) have already introduced legislation this Congress to repeal home rule, called the BOWSER Act. Their bill calls for restoring “the honor and integrity” of the city.
Trump praised Washington’s police department while saying it is “not utilized properly.” He also said he likes and gets along with Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Bowser later took to X to boast about the city, calling it “world-class” and pointing to its AAA bond rating, growth, and falling crime.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Bowser’s office seeking further comment.
“They’re not doing the job — too much crime, too much graffiti, too many tents on the lawns. There’s magnificent lawns, and there’s tents,” Trump said. “It’s a sad thing, homeless people all over the place — we’ve gotta take care of the homeless. But we can’t have that in Washington, D.C.”
The comments may be shocking to D.C. residents, but the president has little to lose politically by making them. Over 90% of district voters chose then-Vice President Kamala Harris last fall.
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World leaders frequently visit Washington for high-profile meetings, with the leaders of Japan and India already doing so since Trump took office one month ago. He said the state of the city must be improved for those purposes.
“When they come in to see me — like [French President Emmanuel] Macron is coming, the prime minister of the U.K. is coming, all these people coming over to see me,” Trump said. “We’ll have ultimately [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping], we’ll have everybody. … You can’t let that happen. You can’t have tents all over your beautiful, your once magnificent houses and lawns. You just can’t do it.”