Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith is facing sharp criticism and online mockery after appearing to not understand a reporter’s question about the department’s “chain of command” under President Donald Trump’s new federalization order.
The exchange happened during a press conference Tuesday morning, one day after Trump invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and deploying the National Guard.
The Exchange
“Can you tell us what the chain of command is now?” a reporter asked Smith.
“What does that mean?” the police chief replied.
The reporter clarified: “Well, is it Pam Bondi speaking to the mayor? Is it you? How does this work?”
At that point, Mayor Muriel Bowser stepped in to explain that Attorney General Pam Bondi is acting as Trump’s “proxy” under the federalization order, while the city’s organizational chart and funding processes remain unchanged.
REPORTER: “Do you know what the chain of command is now?”
D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith: “What does that mean?” 🤦♂️
Smith previously served as the Police Department’s “Chief Equity Officer”. pic.twitter.com/CdggV2lnP9
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 12, 2025
Online Backlash
Clips of the exchange quickly spread across social media. The Trump War Room account posted the video with the caption: “Smith previously served as the Police Department’s ‘Chief Equity Officer.’”
Critics blasted the moment as an embarrassment.
“This is who is in charge of the police in D.C…” posted Libs of TikTok.
“This is why DEI is a disease,” wrote CJ Pearson, National Co-Chair of the RNC Youth Advisory Council.
“WTF! The DC Police Chief doesn’t even know what Chain of Command means,” another account posted.
Smith’s biography notes she was the department’s first chief equity officer, leading efforts on “diversity, equity and inclusion” before becoming chief.
Federal Takeover Context
Trump’s move to federalize the police follows a string of high-profile violent crimes in the capital, including:
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The June fatal shooting of a congressional intern.
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The May killing of two Israeli embassy staffers.
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An August attack on a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer.
Declaring it “Liberation Day in D.C.,” Trump said the city had been “overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people.”
“We’re taking our capital back under the authority vested in me as president,” Trump said Monday. “The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department is under direct federal control. … The National Guard will help reestablish law, order, and public safety — and they’re going to be allowed to do their job properly.”
A product of DEI in action!!!!!