President Donald Trump on Tuesday during a cabinet meeting suggested that the federal government “could run D.C.,” taking the idea of federal control of the District of Columbia one step further than he has in previous comments. “We could run D.C. We’re looking at D.C. We don’t want crime in D.C. We want the city to run well,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.
He also said his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, was working with District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office on how best to implement any potential changes. City Hall declined to comment when approached by NOTUS.
“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,” Trump said.
The nation’s capital has some measure of autonomy under the 1973 Home Rule Act, which set up the municipality’s governance structure including its mayor and city council. But final authority on the city’s laws and budget comes from Congress, which is how the House of Representatives blocked two local bills in 2023 that would have allowed noncitizens to vote in local elections, and updated the district’s criminal code.
That House decision prompted cries for statehood from some district residents and activists.
Trump’s suggestion of more federal control comes after a Capitol Hill intern, 21-year-old Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, was shot and killed last week. Police said he was an innocent bystander caught in a cross fire.
“We would run it so good, it would be run so proper, we’d get the best person to run it,” Trump said Tuesday of D.C. “And we 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.”