President Donald Trump has taken steps to exert greater control over Washington, D.C., signaling a shift from his initial detachment from the city’s local affairs.
According to a published report, Trump is preparing an executive order directing prosecutors to seek harsher penalties for local crimes, clear homeless encampments, and remove graffiti. The order aligns with his campaign rhetoric of promising to “restore” the nation’s capital.
Another report noted that the White House had contacted D.C. community members to assemble a group of crime victims for an anticipated event on Friday.
Trump’s reach extends beyond crime policies. He has moved to take control of the Kennedy Center and continues to face Republican calls to strip the city of its home rule.
On Friday, Trump declared himself chairman of the Kennedy Center and announced the removal of board members who, in his words, “do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.” By Monday, 18 board members were removed from the leadership page, and billionaire David Rubenstein was listed as chair emeritus.
Trump loyalist Richard Grenell was named interim executive director.
“NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA,” Trump wrote on social media.
At the same time, two Republican lawmakers are targeting D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah introduced the Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident (BOWSER) Act, which would repeal home rule and place the city under congressional authority.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, who has worked with Bowser on legislation related to RFK Stadium and crime initiatives, has yet to comment on the bill. While Republicans hold majorities in Congress, broad support for revoking D.C.’s self-governance remains uncertain.
When asked about the legislation, Bowser declined to comment directly.
“The District’s focus is on how we become the 51st state,” Bowser said this week.
The local ACLU chapter denounced congressional efforts to “micromanage D.C.,” calling them a violation of conservative-supported self-governance principles.
Reshaping the Justice Department
Trump’s administration is also reshaping the Justice Department under newly sworn-in Attorney General Pam Bondi.
On her first day, Bondi directed the department’s resources toward reviewing cases against Trump, a move she framed as correcting “politicized justice.”
Bondi established a “Weaponization Working Group” to investigate what she described as improper federal prosecutions, starting with the cases brought against Trump by special counsel Jack Smith. She also inquired whether federal agencies assisted in the criminal and civil investigations led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Among her first actions, Bondi ended the federal moratorium on the death penalty, paused federal justice grant funding for sanctuary cities, and ordered department lawyers to advance Trump’s agenda.
“Any attorney who because of their personal political views or judgments declines to sign a brief or appear in court, refuses to advance good-faith arguments on behalf of the administration, or otherwise delays or impedes the Department’s mission will be subject to discipline and potentially termination,” Bondi wrote in a memo.
Interim Justice Department officials appointed by Trump have begun transferring career prosecutors and removing those who worked on investigations tied to Trump or the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered a broad review of FBI agents who investigated Jan. 6 cases and accused the bureau’s acting leadership of insubordination for refusing to identify a core team of agents involved.
In a memo, Bove stated that only individuals who acted “with corrupt or partisan intent” should be concerned about the review.
Bondi echoed that stance in her orders to the Justice Department, arguing that Jan. 6 cases “diverted resources from combating violent and serious crime” and were prosecuted “at the expense of the safety of residents of the District of Columbia.”
Bondi pledged to Trump that she would restore order at her swearing-in ceremony, administered by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
“I will make you proud, and I will make this country proud,” Bondi said.
In his remarks, Trump appeared to acknowledge Bondi’s allegiance to his administration.
“I know I’m supposed to say, ‘She’s going to be totally impartial, with respect to Democrats,’” Trump said. “I think she will be as impartial as a person can be.”