President Trump said Wednesday the federal government should take over Washington, throwing his support behind a measure by House Republicans to bring the nation’s capital back under federal control.

“I think that we should govern the District of Columbia,” Mr. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely flawless.” 

Congress already oversees all of Washington’s laws and has the authority to modify or overturn them. GOP lawmakers in recent weeks have sought to expand that authority and restore Washington back to direct federal control, as it was for most of its history. In 1973, Congress passed the Home Rule Act which provided for a popularly-elected mayor and city council, but it also retained the right to oversee laws passed by that local government. 

The president also approves judges appointed in the district.

Mr. Trump said he liked District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser personally and praised the city’s police department, but also depicted it as poorly run and overwhelmed with homelessness and crime.

“The federal government should take over the governance of D.C. and run it really, really properly,” he said. “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.

“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 U.K. is coming, all these people coming over to see me,” Mr. Trump continued. “We’ll have ultimately President Xi [Jinping of China], we’ll have everybody. … You can’t let that happen.”

While no member of Congress has introduced a bill to return the District of Columbia back to direct federal control, some GOP lawmakers have made noise about creating a proposal. 

Mr. Trump had endorsed the idea during the campaign last year. 

The Washington Post reported that he is preparing to extend his authority over the city through an executive order that would increase penalties for crimes in Washington, clear homeless camps and remove graffiti from statues.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.

• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.