Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called President Donald Trump's order to deploy 800 National Guard members to help law enforcement fight crime in the city an "authoritarian push" and urged community members to vote for a Democrat House in the midterm elections.
"This is a time where community needs to jump in and we all need to, to do what we can in our space, in our lane, to protect our city and to protect our autonomy, to protect our Home Rule, and get to the other side of this guy, and make sure we elect a Democratic House so that we have a backstop to this authoritarian push," Bowser said during a virtual conversation with community leaders Tuesday.
"We are not 700,000 scumbags and punks," she added. "We don't have neighborhoods that should be bulldozed. We have to be clear about our story, who we are, and what we want for our city."
It's a stark change in tone from Bowser, who hours earlier appeared to support Trump's actions.
Trump's directive Monday for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to activate the National Guard is just the latest example of the president sending the National Guard into cities to support immigration enforcement or fight crime over the objection of local and state officials.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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