President Trump said Tuesday that his administration has been “testing” the idea of taking over the District and suggested that he could also exert some influence over New York if Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor.
“We could run D.C. We’re looking at D.C. We don’t want crime in D.C. We want to run the city well,” he said.
“We would run it so good, it would be run so proper, we’d get the best person to run it,” Mr. Trump said of the nation’s capital. “And you know the crime would be down to a minimum, would be much less. And you know, we’re thinking about doing it, to be honest with you.”
Mr. Trump added that his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, was working with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
“We want a capital that’s run flawlessly and it wouldn’t be hard for us to do it. And we’ve had a good relationship with the mayor and we’re testing it to see if it works,” Mr. Trump said.
The president’s comments came during a Cabinet meeting at the White House when he was asked by reporters about the rise of Mr. Mamdani, who describes himself as a “democratic socialist.”
Mr. Trump criticized Mr. Mamdani and then suggested that he might exert some kind of federal influence on New York to prevent the mayoral candidate, who is a heavy favorite, from enacting his policies.
“We’re not going to have – if a communist gets elected to run New York, it can never be the same. But we have tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump did not elaborate on what authority he could wield over New York, but quickly turned his focus to the nation’s capital.
Mr. Trump has long called for the federal government to take over the District, arguing that local leaders are ineffective and complaining that the city is overrun with crime.
In February, Mr. Trump floated the idea of the federal government taking over the city, saying it is embarrassing when foreign dignitaries see homeless encampments when they visit and reiterating his complaints about “ineffective” D.C. officials. He also made a point of vilifying the District during the 2024 election, describing the city as crime-ridden, dysfunctional and filthy.
Ms. Bowser pushed back against Mr. Trump’s criticism and proposed takeover earlier this year, saying the president’s views of the city are out of date and leftover from the “COVID environment” in 2021 at the end of his first term.
She also complained that Mr. Trump’s comments, with a potential federal takeover of the city, are an “unnecessary distraction” and make Washingtonians anxious.
Violent crime is down 25% and all crime is down 8% in the District this year compared to a year ago, according to data from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Ms. Bowser, a Democrat, has worked to forge a close relationship with Mr. Trump during his second term, participating in a White House event to promote the Washington Commanders’ plan to build a new stadium in the city at the RFK Stadium site and removing Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House. Ms. Bowser, during Mr. Trump’s first term, designated the two blocks of 16th Street Northwest as Black Lives Matter Plaza in response to the May 2020 murder of George Floyd.
Still, Mr. Trump has continued to complain about the city, saying its crime is out of control and the homeless encampments are an eyesore.
D.C. residents have some autonomy under the 1973 Home Rule Act, which grants residents the ability to manage their affairs by electing a mayor and city council members. However, final oversight over its laws and budget is left to Congress.
In 2023, for example, the U.S. House blocked two local bills from going into effect, including one that would have reduced the penalties for major crimes such as armed carjacking.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.