Trump Threatens to Federalize Governance of DC Over Crime Issues

“If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City,” President Donald Trump said.

(Left) District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser at a news conference in 2018. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) (Right) President Donald Trump at a news conference at the White House in Washington, on June 5, 2020. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Aug. 5 threatened to federalize the governance of the District of Columbia over criminal activity in the federal district.

“Washington, D.C., must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, demanding that the city change its laws around prosecuting underaged offenders.