Mayor Muriel Bowser: Trump's D.C. Move 'Unsettling, Unprecedented'

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday blasted President Donald Trump's executive order federalizing the capital as "unsettling and unprecedented."

"My message to residents is this: We know that access to our democracy is tenuous," Bowser told reporters during her news conference that aired in part live on Newsmax. "That is why you have heard me and many, many Washingtonians before me advocate for full statehood for the District of Columbia. We are American citizens. Our families go to war. We pay taxes and we uphold the responsibilities of citizenship.

"And while this action today is unsettling and unprecedented, I can't say that, given some of the rhetoric of the past, that we're totally surprised. I can say to D.C. residents that we will continue to operate our government in a way that makes you proud.

"We will balance our budgets. We will deploy our services. Our kids are going to start school on Aug. 25 and we will work with the federal government to do the things that they should do for our city, including making sure that we have the judges that we need, including making sure that all federal parks are supported, not just with law enforcement, but with other clean and safe activities, and including making sure that our economy is supported by rational federal actions as it relates to the federal workforce, federal workers and federal property in the District of Columbia."

Trump announced Monday morning he would place the city's police force under federal authority and deploy the National Guard to reduce crime.

Bowser said later that day during her press conference that Trump's "view of D.C. is shaped by his COVID era experience during his first term," admitting it is "true that we experienced a crime spike post COVID, but we worked quickly to put laws in place and tactics that got violent offenders off our streets and gave our police officers more tools, which is why we have seen a huge decrease in crime" since 2023.

"Crime isn't just down from 2023; it's also down from 2019 before the pandemic, and we're at a 30-year violent crime low," she added. "We're not satisfied. We haven't taken our foot off the gas, and we continue to look for ways to make our city safer."

Bowser also said that despite Trump's announcement, the Metropolitan Police Department's "3,100 members work" under the direction of Chief Pamela Smith, according to the District of Columbia's home rule charter.

Bowser said the charter "requires the mayor to provide the services of MPD during special conditions of an emergency, and we will follow the law," adding "there's a question about the subjectivity of that declaration."

Trump invoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act, which lets the president assume control of the Metropolitan Police Department if deemed necessary for federal purposes. In a letter to Congress, he claimed the step was needed to "maintain law and order" in the nation's capital, protect federal property, and ensure "the orderly functioning of the federal government."

Under the law, Trump's control can last more than 48 hours, but extending it beyond 30 days would require approval from both chambers of Congress.

Although she acknowledged the president's "broad authority" under the law, Bowser said she expected federal intervention would focus on the National Guard — not a direct takeover of her city's police force. She referred to Trump's declared state of emergency as a "so-called emergency."

The D.C. police union backed Trump's action, calling it a necessary — though temporary — step to bolster public safety. Union Chairman Gregg Pemberton urged the city to fully staff and support its police force while repealing certain local criminal justice reforms.

Critics, however, blasted the takeover as politically motivated. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb labeled it "unnecessary and unlawful" and signaled possible legal challenges. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called it "deeply dangerous," saying it lacked a clear plan and misused the National Guard. Civil rights leader Al Sharpton warned the move could set a precedent for using federal power to target majority-Black cities for political gain.

Information from The Associated Press was used to compile this report.