“We could run D.C. I mean, we’re looking at D.C.,” said President Donald Trump this Tuesday during a cabinet meeting. “We don’t want crime in D.C. We want the city to run well.”
Washington D.C. was established as the nation’s capital in 1800, when it was moved from Philadelphia, Pa., according to the city government. Back then, it was called the City of Washington, in the Territory of Columbia. A year later, Congress divided the district into the counties of Washington and Alexandria and in 1802 Washington got its first municipal charter and the mayor was appointed by the president.
Over the years, things have changed. For example, residents vote for the mayor now. Still, as of this year it is considered a federal district, even though it has a larger population than some states at more than 670,000. Per the city government website, residents of D.C. have been lobbying for it to become a state.
“The United States is the only nation in the world with a representative, democratic constitution that denies voting representation in the national legislature to citizens of the capital,” the site explained. “In addition, all local legislation, including DC’s local budget, must go before Congress for approval. Congress routinely uses this approval period as an opportunity to interfere in local affairs.”
Trump said Tuesday that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is working with Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and “they’re doing all right.” In 2021, Bowser issued a statement in support of D.C. statehood.
“I mean, in the sense that we would run it so good, it would be run so proper,” said Trump. “We’d get that best person to run it. The crime would be down to a minimal, would be much less. And we’re thinking about doing it, to be honest with you. We want a capital that's run flawlessly and it wouldn’t be hard for us to do it.”
Though Trump mentioned crime as a reason why the federal government would take over D.C., data shows that violent crime has been decreasing there in recent years.
“We’ve had a good relationship with the mayor and we’re testing it to see if it works,” the president added. It’s not the first time he has mentioned the plan – Rapid Response 47 posted about it on X this February.
Discussion of the federal government taking over D.C. was sparked when Trump was asked about New York State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D), who POLITICO said Wednesday held a 10 point lead over Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s general election for mayor. Mamdani and Cuomo were trailed by incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, per the Slingshot Strategies poll POLITICO cited.
If elected, Mamdani plans to “create a network of city-owned grocery stores focused on keeping prices low, not making a profit,” according to his campaign website. Trump called Mamdami a “communist” and a “disaster” during the Tuesday cabinet meeting.