Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser responded Sunday to President Donald Trump’s threats to take federal control of the city’s police department, defending local oversight and highlighting a two-year decline in violent crime. Bowser voiced concern about the possible deployment of the D.C. National Guard and countered White House claims of rampant violence.
Last week, Trump directed federal agencies including the U.S. Park Police, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Marshals Service to increase their presence in the District after a former White House staffer was injured in an attempted carjacking. A White House official confirmed that nearly 450 federal officers were deployed Saturday night.
In a social media post Sunday, Trump pledged to “make our Capital safer” by removing the homeless and incarcerating criminals, with a plan to be announced Monday morning. Speaking on MSNBC, Bowser said she expected the announcement to involve “surging federal law enforcement” and possibly larger numbers or longer deployments.
Bowser said she would work with the president on “shared priorities” of safety and beautification but stressed the need for more federal prosecutors, judges, and infrastructure repairs. She disputed remarks from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who called D.C. “more violent than Baghdad,” calling the comparison “hyperbolic and false.”
The mayor acknowledged an increase in crime in 2023 but said violent crime has dropped 26% compared to last year. “Now, if the priority is to show force in an American city, we know he can do that here,” Bowser said. “But it won’t be because there’s a spike in crime.”
Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard, though the force told NPR it had not been activated. Bowser opposed such deployment, noting, “They’re not law enforcement officials,” and calling it an inefficient use of resources. Trump previously sent the National Guard to D.C. during 2020 protests and to Los Angeles two months ago amid immigration enforcement demonstrations.
The president has also suggested taking control of the Metropolitan Police Department, calling it “an option on the table.” Bowser said the law allows this only under “special conditions of an emergency nature,” which she said do not currently exist.
On Sunday, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith announced a juvenile curfew in the Navy Yard neighborhood, citing late-night gatherings as a public safety risk. The order bans groups of nine or more juveniles in the area from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. through Wednesday. A citywide juvenile curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. remains in effect until August 31.
In a separate post, Trump described Bowser as “a good person who has tried” but claimed crime is worsening and the city is “dirtier and less attractive.”
