D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Thursday said she took seriously President Trump’s call for a federal takeover of the District, but she also felt it was an “unnecessary distraction” by the president to unnerve other elected officials.
Ms. Bowser, a Democrat, said the Republican president’s chief concerns of homelessness and crime, which saw a generational spike in 2023, have improved greatly in a short time. She even welcomed federal assistance to aid Mr. Trump’s desire to uplift the District.
But the mayor said the city is “well-run” with a high bond rating, strong schools and is hosting record numbers of tourists. She said she won’t be goaded into running the District as the president wishes just to deter threats of stripping local control from the city.
“It makes people in our community anxious,” Ms. Bowser said. “That makes our policymakers, our businesses anxious, and that’s just an unnecessary distraction. As I’ve said since President Trump was elected, we want to work on shared priorities with him.”
Ms. Bowser said she reached out to the White House, but has yet to hear back.
The mayor spoke on the proposed takeover after Mr. Trump voiced support for the federal government taking the reins of the city’s day-to-day operations.
“I think we should take over Washington, D.C. — make it safe,” Mr. Trump said late Wednesday aboard Air Force One. “I think that we should govern the District of Columbia.”
The president said he likes Ms. Bowser personally, but said her administration isn’t making the grade in the nation’s capital.
“They’re not doing the job,” Mr. Trump said. “Too much crime, too much graffiti, too many tents on the lawns. There’s magnificent lawns and there’s tents.”
The president has some emergency powers over District governance, and Mr. Trump reportedly is in talks about issuing an executive order to tackle crime and homelessness in the District.
However, the Constitution grants most of its ruling authority over the federal city to Congress. Lawmakers can review, approve and reject laws passed by the D.C. government, and have the power to pass its own legislation that would give it control of the District.
A bill seeking to revoke the over-50-year-old Home Rule Act was introduced earlier this month on Capitol Hill. If signed into law, the legislation would abolish the mayor’s office and the D.C. Council.
The bill from Rep. Andy Ogles, Tennessee Republican, is titled “Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident,” or BOWSER Act — a direct shot at the mayor and her leadership since she entered office a decade ago.
Ms. Bowser said she believes Mr. Trump’s comments were unrelated to the congressional maneuvers, and likened it to the Republican president’s campaign-style talk.
Mr. Ogles’ bill is now in the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer.
Mr. Comer, Kentucky Republican, has been a key ally of Ms. Bowser on local D.C. matters. That was evident in December when he spearheaded the transfer of federal land where RFK Stadium sits into District hands.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.