If Trump Can’t Beat D.C. Voters, He’s Threatening to Overrule Them
With Janeese Lewis George leading in the mayoral race, President Trump is once again raising the prospect of federal intervention in Washington, D.C.

President Trump is at war with another Black woman.
We’ve seen it in his battles with Jasmine Crockett, Maxine Waters, and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
So it’s fitting that before the election for mayor of Washington, D.C., has even taken place, Trump is threatening to use the federal government to “take back” Washington if the democratic socialist candidate wins the race to replace outgoing Mayor Muriel Bowser.
“I wouldn’t like it — and maybe we take back Washington, run it on the federal basis,” Trump said after being asked what he’d do if a “crazy socialist” were mayor of the capital city, the Hill reports.
“We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses,” he said.
While the president didn’t name the Democratic socialist in question, he was clearly talking about D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George, the front-runner in the mayoral race. Lewis George describes herself as a democratic socialist and has run on a platform of affordability, housing and public safety, the Hill reports.
Soon-to-be former Mayor Bowser has not fully endorsed either candidate, she has backed former D.C. Council member-at-large Kenyan McDuffie (D). But that hasn’t stopped Lewis George’s momentum as she currently leads McDuffie by double digits in recent polling.
The Democratic primary is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16.
Trump has been seeking control over the district since taking office. He’s been critical of the crime rate and homelessness, using both as an excuse to take over the city. In August, Trump deployed National Guard troops to Washington claiming that crime was rampant despite data that clearly showed that crime in the nation’s capital was trending in the opposite direction.
Local officials and Democrats opposed the move, noting that this was the first time a president had invoked emergency powers under the D.C. Home Rule Act.