President Donald Trump on Tuesday added a bit more emphasis to previous comments about taking over the management of Washington, D.C.
Trump said during a Cabinet meeting posted online by the White House, "We could run D.C."
The sidebar comment from Trump followed his pointed remark at New York and the potential of self-proclaimed democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani becoming the city's mayor. "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," he said.
Trump quickly switched to the idea of a federal takeover of Washington, D.C. "I mean, we're looking at D.C.," he said. "We're thinking about doing it, to be honest with you. We want a capital that's run flawlessly."
Bloomberg reported that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has somewhat warmed up to the Trump administration and visited the White House to lobby for a National Football League stadium in addition to removing a Black Lives Matter plaza a stone's throw from the White House.
Trump said his chief of staff, Suzie Wiles, has had regular contact with the mayor. "We've had a good relationship with the mayor, and we're testing it to see if it works."
Trump's comments echo previous sentiments. In late March, he issued an executive order outlining what he said needed to be done to make the nation's capital "safe and beautiful," which included a reference to "take over the horribly run capital of our nation."
It's not the first takeover he has considered.
Trump has also thrown around the idea of taking control of Greenland, a territory of Denmark, strategically situated in the North Atlantic. It's an idea that has been soundly rejected by Greenland.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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