President Donald Trump has launched an aggressive escalation in his second term, threatening to wrest control of the nation’s capital from its elected leaders in what would be the most dramatic rollback of home rule in half a century.
Speaking during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Trump floated the possibility of having the White House directly “run D.C.” to tackle crime and oversee city functions.
“We could run D.C. I mean, we’re looking at D.C.,” Trump declared, adding, “We want a capital that’s run flawlessly.”
The Republican president said his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is in touch with Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat who has increasingly worked to negotiate with the administration.
While Trump was touting federal authority over the city, Bowser was moving to repeal D.C.’s “sanctuary city” law, the Sanctuary Values Amendment Act. The law, approved unanimously by the D.C. Council in 2019, limits how city agencies can cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, requiring a warrant or judicial order for detainer requests and forbidding ICE agents from questioning detainees in local custody. The policy was intended to reassure immigrants that they could report crimes and seek help without fear of deportation.
Bowser has argued the law should be stripped from the city’s statutes and possibly replaced by more narrowly tailored executive orders.
“It is a misnomer for the city,” she said in May, describing the sanctuary designation as outdated.
However, critics argue that Bowser’s retreat — including her quiet removal of city websites that touted immigrant protections and her decision to dismantle Black Lives Matter Plaza — is part of a larger effort to appease Republicans and avert deeper interference from the Trump administration and its allies in Congress.
Even as Bowser tried to navigate MAGA’s oppression, Trump signaled that her overtures may not be enough to prevent federal intervention. He cited the city’s crime rate and homelessness as justification for possibly seizing control.
“We’ve had a good relationship with the mayor, and we’re testing it to see if it works,” Trump said.
Trump’s remarks came alongside his criticism of New York City, where he labeled Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a “communist” and suggested the White House could exert power there if necessary.
“If a communist gets elected to run New York, it can never be the same, but we have tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to,” Trump said.
In Washington, Trump has also intertwined his political ambitions with the fate of the NFL’s Washington Commanders. The team and Bowser have announced a deal to build a new stadium on the site of RFK Stadium, but the Council has delayed approving key legislation. Trump indicated he might personally intervene to secure the deal.
“It’s a very important piece of property,” he said. “So, we’ll see. But if I can help them out, I will. You know, ultimately, we control that; the federal government ultimately controls it.”
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has already removed most of the stadium legislation from the budget vote and said it likely won’t be revisited until September, prompting concern from Bowser that delays could invite more federal meddling.
“Delaying only introduces risk, and those risks can come in all forms,” the mayor said. “There could be political, economic, there could be some upending of the economy that none of us can foresee, and that’s what risk introduces.”
Meanwhile, House Oversight Chairman James Comer has also signaled interest in intervening.
“James Comer is very interested in the development of RFK, and I’ll leave it at that,” Bowser said.
Mayor Bowser has a very tough job. However, Bowser appears to lack a clear strategy for retaining home rule. In the face of Trump’s unimpeded autocracy, a congenial stance is understandable. Yet, what is needed is a stronger show of strength and an emphasis on autonomy. Perhaps a change in leadership in DC is necessary. Trump will not be in power forever. And many of these GOP initiatives that have been permitted by the high court, will be overturned by the next non-fascist President. Furthermore, the doors the high court have opened will make it very difficult for liberal executive orders to be denied (e.g. DC statehood, gun regulations).