Donald Trump has complete his take over of the Kennedy Center for Performing Art. His next target? The entire District of Columbia. Aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters the federal government should “take over governance” of Washington, D.C.
“I think that we should govern the District of Columbia,” Trump said. “I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely flawless.”
Trump says he gets along “great” with Mayor Muriel Bowser, but believes she’s not “doing the job.” More specifically, he claims there is “too much crime, too much graffiti, too many tents on the lawns, ” for his liking.
“I like the mayor, I get along great with the mayor, 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. It’s a sad thing, homeless people all over the place. We’ve gotta take care of the homeless,” he said. “But we can’t have that in Washington, D.C. When they come in to see me – like Macron is coming, the prime minister of the UK is coming, all these people coming over to see me.”
Current law requires Congress to review legislation passed by the district’s city council. Also, Trump is responsible for appointing the district’s judges, but the city doesn’t appear interested in a Trump take over.
“Let’s be clear: Trump’s plan to ‘take over DC’ is not an innocent attempt at a beautification project — it’s a hostile takeover of our lives and our laws. We need to start treating it like that,” Washington, D.C. native Markus Batchelor said.
According to a report from the U.S. Department of Justice, violent crime in the nation’s capital hit a 30-year low in 2024. More specifically, homicides, armed carjackings and robberies are all down by more than 30%.
“In addition to the overall violent crime reduction, homicides are down 32%; robberies are down 39%; armed carjackings are down 53%; assaults with a dangerous weapon are down 27% when compared with 2023 levels, with the District reporting the fewest assaults with dangerous weapons and burglaries in over 30 years,” the report reads.
Moreover, Trump “pardoned virtually all of the 1,270” individuals convicted of storming the capitol building in Washington, D.C. upon taking office. Additionally, he recently provided a “full and unconditional pardon” to two former Washington, D.C. police officers involved in the death of a 20-year-old man in the nation’s capital.
As for tents in Washington, D.C., the number of “encampment engagements,” defined as crews cleaning or disbanding encampments, the city has implemented increased from 6.8 to 8 times per month in the last year. With that said, tent encampments in Washington, D.C. are a reflection of the district’s growing population of unhoused residents, which has increased by 12% in the last year. However, the Trump administration has elected to lay off or offer buyouts to approximately 75,000 federal employees. This greatly impacts the greater Washington, D.C. area as the region is reportedly home to one out of every five civilian federal employees.
