The mayor challenged Trump’s justification for declaring a criminal emergency.
DC Mayor responds to Trump’s plan to control city police
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser called President Trump’s acquisition of DC police “uncertain” and “unprecedented.”
President Donald Trump’s move to assert control over police in Washington, D.C., said the mayor, but said she would work with federal authorities.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser disputed Trump’s justification for declaring a criminal emergency in her city, calling it a subjective “so-called emergency,” noting that crime rates in the capital have fallen after the posthumanitarian rise that peaked in 2023.
“We are not experiencing a surge in crime, we are experiencing a decline in crime,” Bowser announced at a press conference on August 11, and launched a dramatic federal takeover of city police and deployed the DC National Guard after Trump announced earlier in the day.
However, the mayor has acknowledged Trump’s authority under the Home Rules Act, which gives the federal government certain powers over DC governance. Trump cited the law in an executive order declaring that he was using an emergency to take control of the city’s metropolitan police station.
“The Home Rules Charter requires the mayor to provide MPD services during special conditions of an emergency, and we will follow the law,” Bowser said.
The potential legal issues surrounding the federal takeover are “under review,” Bowser added, but she added that “plain words” on the Home Rules Charter allowed the president to take certain actions and said “the mayor will follow.”
Trump has long criticised Democrat-run DC as dangerous and threatened to threaten control of cities, a federal enclave under the jurisdiction of the US government. The District of Columbia Home Rules Act of 1973 gave local governance to the city, including the elected mayor and city council, but allows federal intervention.
Trump’s move shows a dramatic escalation from rhetoric to federal control of major city police. He also deploys 800 national security guards.
Many Democrats are worried about executive action and call it unfair, but Bowser said it could be profitable.
“The fact that we have more law enforcement presence in our neighborhoods can make it positive,” she said.
The mayor took a less combative approach to Trump during his second term, after clashing with him in his first term. Asked if her tenor to Trump will change with recent moves, Bowser said, “My tenors will be suitable for what I think is important to the district, and what’s important for this district is that we can take care of our citizens.”
Bowser said concerns about Trump’s actions should be led to achieve the nation for DC and gain local control over the DC National Guard.
Contribution: Joey Garrison
