Mayor Muriel Bowser objected Monday to President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard and place the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under federal control, calling the move “unsettling and unprecedented.”
Trump announced he is invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act and declaring a public emergency, citing the city’s high homicide rate and ongoing crime problems. The order shifts control of the D.C. police to the Justice Department.
Bowser’s Response
Speaking at a press conference, Bowser claimed Trump’s view of D.C. crime is based on his “COVID-era experience” from his first term. She acknowledged the city saw a spike in violent crime during and immediately after the pandemic but insisted that new laws and policing tactics have since “reversed” the trend.
“We have been able to reverse that 2023 crime spike,” Bowser said, arguing that D.C. is now seeing a “30-year low” in violent crime based on current police data.
Still, she admitted the president has the legal authority to take control of law enforcement in the District and pledged local cooperation with federal agencies.
White House Pushes Back on Crime Claims
The White House countered Bowser’s statements, pointing out that in 2024, Washington, D.C., had the fourth-highest homicide rate in the country — nearly six times higher than New York City and higher than Atlanta, Chicago, and Compton.
Officials also cited an ongoing investigation into a D.C. police commander accused of altering crime statistics. The probe follows accusations from the police union that city leaders have falsified numbers to make crime trends look more favorable.
“If Washington, D.C., was a state, it would have the highest homicide rate of any state in the nation,” the White House said Monday.
Statehood Push Amid Federal Takeover
Bowser used the moment to renew her call for D.C. statehood, arguing residents “pay taxes, serve in the military, and uphold the responsibilities of citizenship” without full representation.
While Bowser called Trump’s move “unsettling,” she said the city was “not totally surprised given some of the rhetoric of the past.”
